My 7mm scale 1950s workbench

[David Holman]

Fine work and all the better for being hand crafted and not something simply bought off a shelf. Nothing wrong with the latter of course, there is some lovely stuff out there that clever, talented people are relying on us buying from time to time. Equally, when scratch and kitbuilding, we are supporting a small army of suppliers who also deserve attention too and the results are just as satisfying. Long may both sides of our hobby prosper!

[Galteemore]

One of the big gaps in the 7mm market is the humble brake van. Alphagraphix do a SLNCR one but there’s nothing from the main lines. So when I needed a CIE brake van I had to make one from drawings. So here’s a glimpse before she goes into primer...it’s an MGWR prototype. Plasticard body and chassis. Handrails 0.7mm brass wire. Slaters wheels and brake blocks. Invertrain axleboxes - thankfully the steps hide the Caledonian Railway markings! GWR buffers from Northants Model Supplies. Worst bit was fabricating the steps and brackets from bits of brass. A painful few hours of soldering....

Edited June 6, 2019 by Galteemore

[KMCE]

Now that looks good - Well done.

[Galteemore]

A gentle waft of primer. Off to harden for 48 hrs...

[David Holman]

Lovely job.

 

[Galteemore]

Decals on and some weathering under way.....

 

 

Edited June 12, 2019 by Galteemore

[David Holman]

Some lovely detail there.

[jhb171achill]

That's as good as REAL!

Excellent job. While logos, lettering and numerals were often actual white when applied, virtually 2 or 3 outings had them off-white. Thus, pure white anything on a model never looks realistic. What you have done is super-realistic! 

Edited June 13, 2019 by jhb171achill

[leslie10646]

An interesting prototype to choose - I wonder when the last of them ran!

A lovely piece of work, young man. I'm surprised that Midland John hasn't reacted - he must be busy tidying up the garden railway before winter!

 

[jhb171achill]

18 minutes ago, leslie10646 said:

An interesting prototype to choose - I wonder when the last of them ran!

 

 

Very few pre-standard-CIE guards vans lasted after 1962/3, due to the closures of rural lines and the great output by Inchicore of the new 20T and 30T vans from the mid-50s onwards.

I'm unaware of any definitive information as to when the last Midland van was withdrawn, though I'm unaware of any being in traffic after maybe the late 50s. CIE had perhaps as few as 2 or 3 GNR vans in use after they inherited them in 1958 until 1963/4. They also had several ex-GSWR vans in use until the mid or late 1960s.

DSER vans appear to have been very long gone by these times. There was one Timoleague van, I think No. 5 of theirs, in use at least occasionally until the West Cork closed in 1961. It looked a bit like a normal goods van but with a door at one end.

[Mayner]

I have a Herbert Richards photo of a very decrepit looking MGWR 20t van stored/dumped at Liffey Junction possibly from the early 60s.

The MGWR vans with raised cupolas and drovers compartments seem to have been withdrawn in GSR days.

Leaf fall is just about finished though track and rolling stock maintenance on the garden railway will keep me busy getting ready for the next operating session/running day in about 3 weeks time

Edited June 14, 2019 by Mayner

[Galteemore]

Thanks everyone - and the dates are reassuring as the line will be running on a mid-50s scenario! 

[jhb171achill]

4 hours ago, Galteemore said:

Thanks everyone - and the dates are reassuring as the line will be running on a mid-50s scenario! 

Remember, as a Midland van, it’ll have “M” after its number.....!

Ex GSWR - number only

Ex DSER - D after number

Ex MGWR - M after number

Ex Bandon - B after number

Many others too. C for West Clare, T for T&D, L on the C & L, etc.

Edited June 14, 2019 by jhb171achill

[Galteemore]

Thanks JHB - now off to hunt for a suitably sized letter M on my GWR transfers sheet....

[jhb171achill]

I was actually thinking, Galteemore, that the style of numerals you used look very much correct - too often, many of us have little option but to use inaccurate styles of font.

If that’s GWR style you’re using, it’s worth noting as suitable for pre-stencil-era CIE lettering.

[Galteemore]

JHB - just for you......

[jhb171achill]

18 hours ago, leslie10646 said:

An interesting prototype to choose - I wonder when the last of them ran!

 

 

Very few pre-standard-CIE guards vans lasted after 1962/3, due to the closures of rural lines and the great output by Inchicore of the new 20T and 30T vans from the mid-50s onwards.

I'm unaware of any definitive information as to when the last Midland van was withdrawn, though I'm unaware of any being in traffic after maybe the late 50s. CIE had perhaps as few as 2 or 3 GNR vans in use after they inherited them in 1958 until 1963/4. They also had several ex-GSWR vans in use until the mid or late 1960s.

DSER vans appear to have been very long gone by these times. There was one Timoleague van, I think No. 5 of theirs, in use at least occasionally until the West Cork closed in 1961. It looked a bit like a normal goods van but with a door at one end.

[Galteemore]

Suitably knackered fabric roof on and painted. Lamps are on and the stove pipe is in. Let her dry overnight and she’s done - if I can pluck up the courage I’ll weather it down a bit more..,

Edited June 14, 2019 by Galteemore

[Galteemore]

Going postal....my first ever scratch built coach. I should really have gone for something simple. But no - it had to be a TPO for some reason. In fairness, the drawing did look simple. But then I saw a pic in Des Coakham’s book - and my prototype still had all the TPO bag and bracket gubbins which would have to be cobbled together .....Almost done now - just lower footboards to fabricate from brass, and I can prime her. Built from Alphagraphix drawing using  David Jenkinson’s principles from ‘carriage building made easy’. More pics when the painting’s done....

Edited June 29, 2019 by Galteemore

[Edo]

Looks great - well done Sir!

[David Holman]

Excellent!

[Galteemore]

A few sneak peeks through the windows of the TPO interior before the roof goes on  and all goes dark -  toilet compartment  and sorting rack....the daggers on the window bars are of course mail bag hooks...

Edited July 4, 2019 by Galteemore

[jhb171achill]

 

That is a thoroughly superb job!

[Galteemore]

Not sure if I meant the varnish to come out like this ...but I’ll try to live with it! Looks rather apt for an ancient vehicle at the end of its career. That’s what I keep telling myself...Roof and windows still to be fitted. I may get her done tomorrow.

Edited July 7, 2019 by Galteemore

[Galteemore]

And that’s about it. Just the couplings to fit. Despite the decrepit appearance there’s mailbags in the windows so all ready for attachment to the Sligo mail tonight !  Also attached are some pics of the original in GSR days.

 

 

 

Edited July 9, 2019 by Galteemore

[Edo]

Fantastic Job !  

[David Holman]

Getting a really worn appearance like that is just as hard as doing a pristine one and easy to over exaggerate too. This one is nicely subtle and very convincing. Fine job.

[Galteemore]

Thanks David. Bit of an accident really - the acrylic varnish left a rather odd effect of white patches which I hadn’t expected. Frantic coats of dirty thinners and some gentle dusting with powders and talc helped restore things a bit! 

[Galteemore]

Inauthentic authenticity. The Rosses Point portion of the Sligo mail. A complete MGWR train as it might have appeared in the 1950s if a single wheeler had lasted in service. 

Edited July 10, 2019 by Galteemore

[jhb171achill]

That's a suitably shabby appearance indeed! Postal vehicles rarely seemed to be at the top of the queue when men with paintbrushes were about!

I have an old Hornby coach which with a bit of alteration will look like one of the last pair of WLWR brake 3rds. I have painted it a flattish green to make it look like the earlier dark green turning as shabby as yours. The green looks right for this, but I am not sure how to go about adding the "eau-de-nil" lining to match the faded shabbiness - indeed, this lighter shade on a badly-weathered coach seemed to fade even more than the dark green.

I had thought of approaching a manufacturer of lining to make a batch of "weathered" lining, but probably too much effort and expense for too little use. I will eventually have no more than two or three vehicles that i would want to look as worn as that.

[popeye]

You could just use white lining and put a bit of dirt over it.

I think the lining usually faded to white over time when bleached by the sun.

[jhb171achill]

Possibly, yes..... I recall seeing coaches in scrap lines. The green was by now a flattish shade - hard to describe. The lighter green was by this stage showing a greenish creamy colour, rather than white as such. Maybe some sort of creamy colour..... I'll experiment with paints at some stage. 

I also seem to remember that if really worn, it showed as streaky, like the paint was washing off to show the darker colour underneath.

On my first visit to Inchicore (mid 60s?) I wish I'd had a camera... there was all sorts of stuff about in scrap lines...!

[David Holman]

Martyn Welch very much shows the way to go in his Weathering book. Put on the base colours first - wood/primer/rust/darker original etc -  then gradually rub back to reveal once dried. Glass fibre pencil, fine wetndry, T-Cut or whatever. That simulates actual wear. It should only be dirt that goes on top and rust comes through from underneath.

[Galteemore]

Sligo Leitrim 7 ton van under way ...trying a new technique of applying individual bolt heads cut from 10x20 thou strip

Edited July 30, 2019 by Galteemore

[popeye]

The bolt heads look excellent, must be a slow job, there are so many.