Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

[Peter Butler]

Wilko's will be missed for such trivial items as rattle cans but I get my Hycote satin black from 'The Range' for a reasonable price. They stock primers, lacquers and limited paint colours. There is a list on-line of locations for all 180 branches nationwide.

[Andrew]

Wilko's will be missed for such trivial items as rattle cans but I get my Hycote satin black from 'The Range' for a reasonable price. They stock primers, lacquers and limited paint colours. There is a list on-line of locations for all 180 branches nationwide.

I mourn the loss of Wilko several times a week... Will look out for The Range though, don't think I've ever been in one...

[FWLR]

Wilko's will be missed for such trivial items as rattle cans but I get my Hycote satin black from 'The Range' for a reasonable price. They stock primers, lacquers and limited paint colours. There is a list on-line of locations for all 180 branches nationwide.

I mourn the loss of Wilko several times a week... Will look out for The Range though, don't think I've ever been in one...

You can get some bargains Andrew, but they aren't as cheap as Wilko was, although I have heard that Woollies maybe coming back...

[BertieB]

Garratt-18_OK.gif (12.19 MiB) Viewed 1140 times

It works!

Still a few bits to add — and the wiring underneath is rather, erm, untidy. Garden wet and muddy, so I don’t expect to be doing much outside for a while.

[Old Man Aaron]

Damn fine.

I don't know why, but BR blue really suits such a large loco. A nice change from the usual LNWR-style black.
The GIF is a great touch, too.

[dudeface]

Yay!

[BertieB]

Thanks Aaron. Yeh, I’m pleased with the blue (though I expected it to anppear darker) — and I say that as a big fan of the lined black livery. Cheers.

[Andrew]

That's looking great! And it does look a lot like BR express blue - needs a nice rake of blood'n'custard carriages behind it...

[gregh]

What a Bloody Beautiful Big Blue Beast.

Great to see it running.

[BertieB]

Thanks again. I thought I’d squeeze every last drop, so to speak, out of the handful of shots I took of The First Test Run (as in the GIF) so, here’s another short video.

It can’t pull anything at present as I haven’t yet fitted couplings — and that will involve undoing the connections and turning it upside down… Ooops.

[Andrew]

I like the phrase "Light Garratt" very much!

I can't read the cabside lettering - what power classification have you designated it? 7F?

[BertieB]

“I can't read the cabside lettering - what power classification have you designated it? 7F?”

It says ‘5MT’ but it wasn’t chosen very scientifically. I had a quick peek at an idiot’s guide to what it all means and looked up the Tractive Effort figures for possibly relevant locomotives. But way out of my depth…

The engine number is more or less arbitrarily taken from one of the large unused sequences of BR Standard numbers.

Ta.

[Andrew]

“I can't read the cabside lettering - what power classification have you designated it? 7F?”

It says ‘5MT’ but it wasn’t chosen very scientifically. I had a quick peek at an idiot’s guide to what it all means and looked up the Tractive Effort figures for possibly relevant locomotives. But way out of my depth…

Mine too, my technical knowledge is woeful - I just thought it looked quite big! I don't think BR knew either - it seems their former LMS Garratts never even received a power classification. They possibly also considered them a freelance design - I'm guessing so 'cos that black livery they chose was clearly wrong...

[BertieB]

Brrdgepaint_3985_800_1.jpg (417.67 KiB) Viewed 333 times

Leader-bridge_4002_800_2.jpg (421.47 KiB) Viewed 333 times

It's supposed to be the same colour in both pictures...

Pre-season maintenance
This softwood bridge has been out in the garden for six years. It would hardly come as any surprise that it was showing signs of wear and tear – mainly rot, of course. It was originally finished with garden furniture paint and has been touched up a couple of times since. Some of the rot was *under* the plasticky paint surface. Hmmm…

I’ve replaced the dodgy bits and it’s had a repaint. We should get another few years out of it.

Inevitably, at this time of year the garden requires a massive tidy up and there are always umpteen rolling stock repairs to catch up with. But it’s raining again, so I’ll have another cup of tea, continue with my book and worry about the other stuff some other time.

Leader4gif_3.gif (11.52 MiB) Viewed 333 times

You just get a quick (out of focus) glimpse of the complete bridge at the end

[ge_rik]

That does look good! The curved members over the top look spot-on!

Rik

[Phil.P]

That does look good! The curved members over the top look spot-on!

Rik

I think curved members come with age?


Phil.P

[philipy]

Inevitably, at this time of year the garden requires a massive tidy up and there are always umpteen rolling stock repairs to catch up with. But it’s raining again, so I’ll have another cup of tea, continue with my book and worry about the other stuff some other time.

That about sums it up, for most of us I think.

Loco and bridge look good though.

[FWLR]

That does look good! The curved members over the top look spot-on!

Rik

I think curved members come with age?


Phil.P

[BertieB]

Strictly Bulleid* in black & white
*Apologies to the Swanage Railway whose second, similarly named, steam gala will be 7-9 June. The first, in 2017, featured five Light Pacifics and was fab. So, in solidarity, here’s video of three of my celebratory efforts.

There’s a bright and cheerful, colour version (posted in the ‘Videos’ section). This one is presented in dour ‘authentic 1950s black and white’.

[Peter Butler]

Both versions are superb, great modelling.