Darius’ Workbench

[Flying Snail]

I hope you're not gone too long - I really enjoy following along your workbench

[WRENNEIRE]

On 31/5/2025 at 7:48 PM, Darius43 said:

I’ll be taking a break from IRM but hope to be back some time in the future.

Cheers

Darius

Love your Irish stuff man, well done!

[Darius43]

Back with something Irish - repainted Oxford Diecast Bedford CF vans in NIR livery.

Based on the vans in this image of the Magheramorne loop, which I will be incorporating kinda sorta in a new layout  that I will hopefully be commencing in the next month or so.

Cheers

Darius

Edited July 5, 2025 by Darius43

[flange lubricator]

Nice painting. 

[Darius43]

Modified Metcalfe cardboard kit.

The playground walls are made from 2mm card stock with Scalescenes brick paper applied.

I added Scalescenes tile strips to the Metcalfe roofs to add texture and colour variation.  Painted brass rod rainwater downpipes hide the exposed card edges of the kit corners.

Cheers

Darius

[Patrick Davey]

Looking forward to seeing the layout develop Darius. 

[Darius43]

Modified EFE Ulsterbusses.

Cheers

Darius

[Jarl]

Very nice buses, Darius. Did you create logo transfers yourself or is there a commercial source?

[Darius43]

I made the destination blind transfers myself using MS Paint and white decal paper.

Cheers

Darius

[Darius43]

Modified Dapol LMS 2P in progress.

Cheers

Darius

Edited July 31, 2025 by Darius43

[Mol_PMB]

24 minutes ago, Darius43 said:

Modified Dapol LMS 2P in progress.

Cheers

Darius

Tres bono!

[Horsetan]

2 hours ago, Darius43 said:

Modified Dapol LMS 2P in progress.

Cheers

Darius

Are the driving wheels and rods the wrong way round? I see the balance weights are in the wrong place, which suggests that the leading pair have been mounted on the rear axle, and vice-versa....

[Tullygrainey]

16 minutes ago, Horsetan said:

Are the driving wheels and rods the wrong way round? I see the balance weights are in the wrong place, which suggests that the leading pair have been mounted on the rear axle, and vice-versa....

Didn’t notice the balance weights but the rods are certainly upside down

[Darius43]

Oops - sorted.

Cheers

Darius

[Horsetan]

20 minutes ago, Darius43 said:

Oops - sorted.

 

Driving wheels still transposed, though.... looks a bit mad when the balance weights are in the wrong place 

[Darius43]

Alas that’s the way Dapol made it.

Cheers

Darius

[StevieB]

Lovely photos but I’m not sure what you’ve actually done, or am I being just plain dim.

Stephen

[Darius43]

- Disassembled loco.

- Removed whistles and cab glazing.

- Removed LMS lettering and numbers.

- Removed some bodyside equipment.

- Removed pony truck brake shoes.

- Refitted LHS boiler handrails.

- Added boiler pipework.

- Primed and repainted body and tender satin black.

- Painted edges of driving and pony truck wheels black.

- Refitted driving wheels - at least four times.

- Reassembled loco.

Cheers

DariuS

[Darius43]

Tender lining and UTA crests applied. 

Cheers

Darius

[Galteemore]

Dunluce Castle it is then! I used to have the whistle off 83 ‘Carra Castle’. Looking very well. The UT Black looks well when clean. Wonder what a VS would look like in it  

[Darius43]

Lining to locomotive body completed.

Nameplates next.

Cheers

Darius

[Darius43]

Nameplates fitted and light weathering “tone down” coat applied.

Cheers

Darius

[Tullygrainey]

That looks really well. A fine job on the lining. Can I ask what you used for that?

[Darius43]

I used Railtec light yellow lining decals.  The number and nameplates are also by Railtec - from their “3D Decal” range.

Cheers

Darius

[Darius43]

This is a model of the family home in Belfast that I made in the early 1980s.  It’s been bubble wrapped for over 40 years and was in the loft(s) of my parents houses for many years.  It’s just now been unwrapped.

Its interesting to compare with the real house as it is now on Streetview.

The plan is to separate the model house from its surrounding, repair/refurbish it and transplant it onto my Whiterock layout.

Cheers

Darius

[Galteemore]

Fabulous - looks like a blast wall between house and garage ! That’s a very fine model. 

[Horsetan]

56 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

Fabulous - looks like a blast wall between house and garage ! That’s a very fine model. 

Needs an interior to bring it up to date?

[Darius43]

Or just close the curtains like the prototype…

Cheers

Darius

[Patrick Davey]

Lovely!!!  Very personal.

[Darius43]

That whitewashed pebbledash wall was highly susceptible to frost and ice damage - hence the visible repair patches.  I spent several weekends reluctantly wire brushing accumulated dirt and the damaged render away so my Dad could affect repairs.

Cheers

Darius

[Mol_PMB]

2 hours ago, Horsetan said:

Needs an interior to bring it up to date?

Needs a model model railway in one of the rooms! 

[Darius43]

The real house had one in the rear top left bedroom

Cheers

Darius

[Signal Post]

On 23/11/2022 at 12:56 PM, Darius43 said:

Dapol coach chassis modified to accept a Hornby DMU motor bogie and trailing bogie.

 

Test fit of coach body to chassis.

I still have to fit the chassis undergibbons.

Cheers

Darius

Hi @Darius43

What Hornby DMU would recommend as a donor for the motor etc, I have the etches on order and have picked up some of the LMS (Airfix/Dapol) coaches that you mentioned, however I'll need to get some DMUs and I'm wondering which one should I be on the lookout for?

[Darius43]

I used the motor and trailing bogies from Hornby Class 101/121 DMUs.   
These were being sold separately on eBay by Silver Fox Models so I purchased those rather than a complete DMU chassis or whole DMU.

Cheers

Darius