Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

[philipy]

Those are excellent, Bertie. They look entirely plausible to my non-expert eye.

[Andrew]

Loving the proto-Thumper, instantly recognisable!

I have happy early memories of thumping across Kent to Appledore, before heading through country lanes on the back of my Dad's tandem to join the family camping holiday. Quite fancy a trip to the Spa Valley Railway some time, it strikes me that visit there on a day when steam and DEMU traction are combined would make a splendid day out...

[ge_rik]

Wow! They look delectable .......

Rik

[BertieB]

Thank you all. I’ll need to make that trip to Tunbridge Wells (the SVR) armed with my most sophisticated sound-recording equipment (a mobile phone).

[invicta280]

This is one of my favourite threads and I always look forward to what Southernesque delights may emerge from your immensely capable workshop.

[BertieB]

Invicta280 — That’s really very generous of you. Thank you.

[Sylvian Tennant]

Every time I come on here you're doing something amazing

[Lonsdaler]

Those look entirely plausible Bertie, and I bet all but the gricers would be convinced as to there authenticity. Lovely modelling work.

[BertieB]

Thanks for the kind comments. Now to fit the electrics; finish and paint it; sort out the garden — and run it. Hope it doesn’t take too long this time.

[BertieB]

9_3700.jpg (143.32 KiB) Viewed 6300 times

8_3724.jpg (166.49 KiB) Viewed 6300 times

Desperately trying to avoid more mistakes. Note the first, tentative steps into weathering

It is all taking rather longer than I’d imagined.

And guess what — another spray can and the matching small bottle of enamel I bought for touching up don’t appear to be quite the same colour! I’ve used paint, DIY decal materials, printer, software and spec as before (this thread, page 2) but this time the printed DIY decal background colour proved to be a poor match and I had to fiddle with colour tests all over again… and then accept some dodgy touching up, which I’ve tried to disguise (not entirely successfully) with five hundred coats of varnish.

It’s driven me insane.

7_3725.jpg (163.14 KiB) Viewed 6300 times

A few days later — now that the veins on my forehead have stopped throbbing, I've convinced myself that it’s giving off quite a pleasing, old Hornby-esque kind of vibe. Especially outside, from a few yards away. It’s the crisp GRS compartment module windows and flat paintwork, I suppose. It’s not too detailed and quite plasticky (which I actually quite like). I couldn’t dare go with anything remotely glossy, of course, as it would emphasise all the little lumpy horrors and sloppy bits.

It’s a lot easier just painting stuff black.

Still loads to do.

[ge_rik]

Well, they look pretty darn good to me! Not just good, but excellent!

Rik

[Andrew]

Doesn't that look just right out in the garden?! Splendid stuff!

[philipy]

As amazing as always from your erecting shop. Brilliant, and although I kind of see where you get the 'Hornby-esque' thing from, I think you do yourself down more than somewhat.

[BertieB]

Thanks again for the nice comments.

You probably all know this — but I’ve recently read that way back when Hornby introduced ‘Dublo’ at a nominal 1:76 (rather than adopting the international HO standard 1:87) it wasn’t because the tight British loading gauge made UK models appear puny in comparison (though it did) but to make it easier to accommodate the workings (which presumably would have been clockwork). The result is a scale gauge of 4’1” (-ish).

I feel completely vindicated — my G-scale, pretend gauge of 3’11” (-ish) isn’t that silly at all!

[philipy]

I must admit that until I read your post and that prompted me to investigate, I had always believed that Hornby Dublo was always electric only from its inception just before WW2, and that as you say, the 00 rather than HO was simply because of the size of available electric motors at that time. However, I've just found this video, which rather proves the point!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCBQ9gC82oU

[Lonsdaler]

Bertie those coaches look wonderful. I realise you know all the imperfections, but we don't - they really look the part

[ge_rik]

I must admit that until I read your post and that prompted me to investigate, I had always believed that Hornby Dublo was always electric only from its inception just before WW2, and that as you say, the 00 rather than HO was simply because of the size of available electric motors at that time. However, I've just found this video, which rather proves the point!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCBQ9gC82oU

Fascinating! I like the way he knows how many turns of the key it takes for the first loco to go round twice and stop back at the station.

Rik

[BertieB]

“…I’ve just found this video…”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCBQ9gC82oU

Lovely. I’ve not seen those before. The 30s ‘concrete’ cream and orange railway buildings look great too.

“…I like the way he knows how many turns of the key it takes for the first loco to go round twice and stop back at the station”

That was really neat.

I was given the tinplate O gauge, clockwork ‘LNER’ 0-4-0T goods set for Christmas sometime in the mid 50s — I still have it. Fully wound, it would hurtle round at several hundred miles per hour, threatening to come off at any moment — and frequently doing so. I’ve occasionally pondered recreating it, somewhat larger (and slower).

Going back to the coaches (and thanks, Phil), it does seem astonishing today, I think, to also read that the Southern Region designed and built (or converted) their last generation of steam ‘push-pull’ sets after the introduction of the Thumpers.

The line I travelled to school on went from ancient tank engines and push-pull sets, to modern tank engines that had to run round their trains at each end, to Thumpers, to being closed, all in around eight years. A couple of years later I’d bought a 2CV! (I’m not sure but I think that’s relevant).

[invicta280]

You have the knack of capturing the spirit of the real thing and converting it to your own scale/gauge combo. Once again... superb!

[BertieB]

Thank you. It’s been a nice sunny day and to delay having to start on the garden there were some ‘combinations of coaches’ pix to do:

1_3740_Pannier.jpg (171.07 KiB) Viewed 6055 times

Branch line favourite (coaches 1 & 2)

2_3741_push-pull.jpg (172.2 KiB) Viewed 6055 times

Push-pull with Bulleid Q1T (3 & 2)

3_3765_wellwgn.jpg (212.97 KiB) Viewed 6055 times

Three coaches and Bulleid 0-4-4-0 (1, 2 & 3)

4_3766_3xThump.jpg (211.38 KiB) Viewed 6055 times

Three car proto-Thumper (I removed the wrong coach! Should be 4, 1 & 3)


(All still missing seats, etc)

I have materials and components for another coach: Buffet? DEMU driving trailer? another power car? a single coach (longer) railcar? Sleeper?! — dunno. Not quite yet though.