Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

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BertieB
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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by BertieB » Thu Feb 24, 2022 7:16 pm

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

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by Sylvian Tennant » Fri Feb 25, 2022 2:38 pm

Every time I come on here you're doing something amazing
Last edited by Sylvian Tennant on Sat Feb 26, 2022 4:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by Lonsdaler » Fri Feb 25, 2022 4:18 pm

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

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by BertieB » Sat Feb 26, 2022 1:16 pm

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.

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by BertieB » Thu Mar 17, 2022 2:30 pm

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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.

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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.

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by ge_rik » Thu Mar 17, 2022 3:46 pm

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

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by Andrew » Thu Mar 17, 2022 3:58 pm

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

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by philipy » Thu Mar 17, 2022 4:24 pm

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.
Philip

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by BertieB » Fri Mar 18, 2022 9:43 am

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!

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by philipy » Fri Mar 18, 2022 10:52 am

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
Philip

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by Lonsdaler » Fri Mar 18, 2022 11:09 am

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

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by ge_rik » Fri Mar 18, 2022 11:44 am

philipy wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 10:52 am 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
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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by BertieB » Fri Mar 18, 2022 6:11 pm

philipy wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 10:52 am “…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.
ge_rik wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 11:44 am “…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).

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by invicta280 » Fri Mar 18, 2022 7:46 pm

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

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by BertieB » Sat Mar 19, 2022 9:23 pm

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:

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Branch line favourite (coaches 1 & 2)

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Push-pull with Bulleid Q1T (3 & 2)

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

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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.

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by invicta280 » Mon Mar 21, 2022 3:38 pm

All looking Grand there!

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by BertieB » Tue Apr 19, 2022 10:49 am

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Not going anywhere for now

Well, that’ll teach me… Running upside down on the table top does not constitute effective testing of motorblocks — as I’m sure you all take for granted. Once properly installed and all Deltanged up, outside on the track forward (or reverse) progress proved problematic. The power car itself is hardly lightweight (which, in fairness, is how the motorblocks were advertised) — let alone with the trailing coach(es). More grunt required.

A single LGB alternative (unfortunately rather more expensive than I would normally consider) isn’t quite the same size, so new bogies and other modifications are now needed. It won’t sit there making unfortunate fizzy noises without moving, I hope, but I think any notion of three or four car Thumpers is probably out the window.

I had hoped to post a video today…

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by ge_rik » Tue Apr 19, 2022 12:25 pm

That's a shame. How frustrating! Mind you, I think we've all been there at some point (my first railbus springs to mind!).
Fingers crossed the lgb block does the job. I would have recommended visiting the G-Bits website for motor blocks and other bits and bobs but he seems to have ceased trading

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by Lonsdaler » Tue Apr 19, 2022 12:26 pm

These things are sent to try us Bertie. I'm sure you'll find a solution to the problem. As you're running on 45mm,there is a chap who makes powered bogies - there is a thread on here somewhere about them. May be just what you are looking for.

Edited to add - the thread concerned is https://gardenrails.org/forum/viewtopic ... 49#p167249 Tim Gleed-Owen is the chaps name.
Phil

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by BertieB » Wed Apr 20, 2022 9:17 am

Wow. The Appletree stuff looks really useful, I wish I’d taken note of that. But I’ll have to go with LGB on this one — and probably the next too, as I’ve already gone and thrown this year’s discretionary spend at more motorblocks. The stuff I’ve liked to use seems to be becoming generally more difficult to find (and increasingly expensive).

It’s a shame about G-bits, who’ve helped me out a lot in the past. I hope he’s OK.

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