The RHBR fleet

[Keith S]

There is more I could and probably should do to them, fitting a representation of brakes for a start as nothing has any form of braking!:lol:

It annoys me that my IP engineering BRAKE VAN has no brakes! Mr. Prior does very nice brakes for the IoM rolling stock that would look great on the van, but an Email I sent to ask whether he would be willing to sell the castings separately went unanswered. Making brakes is high on my list for that wagon. Who ever heard of a brake van with no brakes?

Is that Clemison wagon the IP one? Nice job: I've been eyeing that kit myself.

[williamfj]

It's funny that you can quite easily get detail items for interiors of vehicles that will probably never be seen but you can't get brakes, the railway inspectorate would not be impressed!
Thanks for the compliment regarding the Cleminson. It is the IPE kit, the only thing I should add is that the couplings are quite low and frail, hence it's use with the electrics.

[williamfj]

Minnie & Offler represented the RHBR and did themselves proud, Offler's handed down chassis help up well and Minnie's back to her old self following some TLC. That said there are outstanding jobs on both locos, Offler could do with brass gears and really needs a driver and I'm thinking of replacing the plastic ball in Minnie's water filler with a metal one following a leak. I had taken a lot more photos but my phones camera is a bit funny and is incapable of focusing in sunlight.

Minnie impatiently waits for the road.


Minnie struts her stuff.


Offler lurks while Minnie's boiler is drained.


And not so much a video but a moving photo.
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I did plan on taking River Ankh but she'll have to wait, Peterborough perhaps, maybe I'll make some friends with it!

[Lner fan Sam]

You have a nice train of wagons there William, will you and your train be at peterbough this year?

[williamfj]

Thanks Sam, I'll be at Peterborough but I'm not planning on taking any of the fleet with me.

[Dr. Bond of the DVLR]

Your driver looks like he's related to Rene...

[williamfj]

Rene comes from the Bennett family doesn't he? Albert isn't too happy about being screwed to Minnie's footplate as a punishment for him falling off last Sunday!



At least he's now got a whistle to play with.

[Dr. Bond of the DVLR]

Screwed down! I use white tack which keeps him on the footplate most of the time, however, when he's had a little too much to drink he tends to fall out and sleep by the trackside.

They certainly look related, must be cousins I think!

[williamfj]

I've been keeping myself busy since finishing university by starting 4 kits and I've finished a grand total of 1 so far.
The kit that's lucky enough to be finished is an IPE Ezee brake van for The Shed, next in line is a IPE freelance 2 comp brake coach well on the way to completion, another day or two should see it finished, a Swift Sixteen tank is progressing but not as swiftly, for some reason I started brush painting it, yes it won't look as good as one spray painted but then again none of my models are intended for close scrutiny!
Finally there is an IPE freelance 3 comp that's had some parts cleaned up but the warping of the overlays has put me off doing it.

At the last running day the RHBR was contracted to working a RHTT (rail head treatment tank) that is filled with meths. I believe it used to have a brush attached to the back but it got lost in the mists of time!


As the next running day is diesel & electric themed Offler will almost certainly tag along, if I'm feeling particularly cruel I'll even take River Ankh along!

[williamfj]

There is a running day on Sunday but the weather forecast is rather poor so I think I'll be giving it a miss. Pity as River Ankh was finally ready for some running. Offler's is out of traffic again, now the problem is one of the connectors on the speed controller has let go, but it's a 2 minute fix once I get my act together and get the parts needed.
Speaking of getting my act together I've got another kit done and dusted, giving the RHBR a welcome boost in passenger capacity, although there's still the small matter of 2 3 comps left to build.

I keep toying with the idea of fitting safety chains to Minnie but I think it would make the front look too 'busy', besides fitting the bolts was a pain and I shudder at the thought of redoing them!

The new addition to the fleet, it was a bit of a rush job towards the end and will have some tidying up before it's next out.

Don't plan the clearances of a garden railway around a Millie!

Offler with his new driver.

Must have been a special working to require so much freight capacity.

These last 2 photos were taken during a rain shower.
The drivers of Offler & Minnie curse the cheapskates at the RHBR for not fitting cabs to their steeds.

Minnie (still lit) cowers under a tree to escape getting wet, a shameful display by her driver!

[Lner fan Sam]

Minnie is looking great!

[williamfj]

Cheers Sam!

[williamfj]

Saturday saw Minnie back in action for the York Model Engineering Society's summer barbecue and the weather was perfectly suited to a barbecue. Unfortunately Minnie attempted to barbecue herself due to a loose bolt on the gas system leading to fire around her rear bufferbeam, it was only brought to my attention when the rear coupling melted. Another lesson learnt, and one that I shouldn't have needed to learn.

The ex-coupling, sorry Minnie, and the Millie class as a whole.


With the front coupling used to replace the torched one she now does a Corris impression. The draincocks can create some interesting effects


Later in the day Minnie is seen hauling a load more befitting a loco her size.

[Lner fan Sam]

It's surprising how much the front end of a loco changes with the absence of a coupler

[williamfj]

It's surprising how much the front end of a loco changes with the absence of a coupler

It sure does, and I'm not sure if my 'repair' makes it look better because as the plywood is progressively steamed & covered in oil the coupling droops! I'm still to buy a replacement but my use of kit offcuts to allow Minnie to have 2 couplings is working, kind of.

Minnie was running rather well if I do say so myself, save for one awkward stall. Because Minnie had done freight work earlier in the week it was her turn on the RHBR's express duties!

As for once I took my camera I have pictures of sufficient quality to be uploaded here but not of sufficient quantity to warrant a new thread, maybe next time.
The headboard is from ELR engineering


A beautiful Peter Angus Linda


And again, just because


Maroon Mountaineer, phwoar!


This Russell looks slightly familiar for some reason!


Finally after some wrong line running, Minnie attempts to steam clean the woodwork while her boiler's drained

[williamfj]

Offler is alive once again, hopefully it'll be the last time I have to rip the croc god apart to get the him running for some time!
Minnie continues to plod along merrily, even more so now that I finally got a new pair of couplings. As the photo & moving photo show I've also grown out of my habit of giving Minnie a ridiculously large train (for a small 0-4-0) to haul. The front vacuum pipe fell off not too long ago and I've given up on trying to keep it glued to the bufferbeam.
I've got some modelling drive back as I'm currently working on an IPE freelance 3 comp coach, I made cracking progress yesterday but I've done nothing on it today. Still I reckon if I knuckle down (a BIG if then!) it'll be ready for the Yorkshire Group's visit to York on the September 1st, I'm sure a newly built coach with the potential to fall apart will be welcome when the line is busy!
Minnie & the mixed rake pause to bask in the summer sun, well you have to make the best of it!

Minnie tackles one of the gradients on the line.
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I haven't made proper videos of the action on the line as I lack the skill to film more when running my stuff and the patience to film others while my stuff stands idle!

[williamfj]

At Elsecar I bought an Atropos Schull & Skibbereen open cattle wagon kit, unfortunately they didn't have any with them so I'll have to wait a couple of days to see what I've let myself in for. I don't think painting the hinges and upper door rails would be a sensible or long term way to blacken the brass. The only effective way of blackening them I can think of is one of the blackening chemical mixes so that'll be another learning curve for me. When I mentioned at the IP stand that a coach kit I bought earlier in the year was missing the side overlays I was kindly given a free 2 comp, that should keep me busy until my van from Atropos arrives.
Minnie's last outstanding problem is now sorted, for a while her gas filler valve has infrequently dribbled after filling so I fitted a new one after getting back yesterday, now I wait to see what she'll throw up next!

[williamfj]

A work placement with Mitie on a contract for Network Rail has put a stop to my modelling for now, the IP 2 comp is in the painting stage and I am confident that I can build the Atropos cattle wagon after some concern that it was too advanced for me. Just about the only thing I've got off the workbench since Elsecar is the painting of 3 Brandright lamps, 2 of which are now Minnie's and the third is another tail lamp, shows how exciting my modelling has been recently that I'm discussing the allocation of white metal lamps!



Yet another 3/4 view, and it will probably be done all over again if I fit a Swift Sixteen replacement coupling and buffer beam overlay, I need some imagination when it comes to photos of Minnie.

[Keith S]

You've done a really good job with that "Millie". It's hard to imagine anything you could do to make it look nicer! I do like those swift sixteen couplers though. I guess that will make the engine look even better!

[williamfj]

Thanks Keith, the only thing that I should do before the old girl's out again is repaint her handrails. I did toy with the idea of painting her wheels but the grime on them gives her a bit of a working loco look.