Garden Railway Forum

A new arrival today for the fleet. These go together exceptionally well, I do enjoy slaters kits, I enjoy making etched brass kits too I just don't have the time I once did. Wagons thankfully are easy, the plan is to do a slaters Alice class hunslet when winter arrives again.

We've had a opening in the weather & the sun came out, the forecast was for rain so it was a bonus. Taliesin was in steam today on the slate wagons & it looked superb in the sun.
Incidentally, the trenarran models slate loads arrived this morning giving the wagons the weight they needed.

That is a fantastic picture!

Thanks Philip

philipy wrote: ↑Sat Mar 12, 2022 6:22 pm That is a fantastic picture!

I agree, a lovely looking train - thanks for the inspiration!

Your welcome chaps

Tonight I made a brief start on a slaters Ffestiniog braked slate wagon. They are a lovely well etched & designed wagon kit. I've built one before in 7/8 scale & they build well.
I've riveted all the components & made a start on the chassis. I soldered up all the solebars & the centre solebar. The kit does have some extra parts that are purely cosmetic for the underside of the chassis. I've left those off as they are optional bits & you'll never see them anyway.

That's all for this evening though, might get a bit more in later in the week.

I've had a few sessions on the Ffestiniog slate wagon & got it to a stage where I am now painting. I didn't really take many pictures during the build. The other one I have to make I will document a bit better.
I got home from work early today so had time to get some primer on. I used upol acid 8 which is excellent spray primer that sticks to brass like that brown stuff on blankets. It's a lighter grey than the standard primer I used on the binnie wagons so it gives a bit of contrast to the others. I've added a red line for the Greaves, Llechwedd quarry on the centre rail of the wagon as per prototype.

I've started weathering it back now using mig starship wash. It's a good earthy, wash that I think looks good on grey. I slap it it on thick with a brush & allow it to settle for a short while before using a tissue & wiping most of it off. A few coats & it gets into those nooks & crannies. I've still a long way to go with this one before it's anything like. The deck of the wagon will get a spray of vallejo air rust before darkening areas with burnt umber & some powders. I might even ding it up a bit with a small hammer on some of the darker areas on the deck & add a little gloss varnish to give the impression of water sat in the slumped areas of the deck.

I will keep chipping away until it looks right.

I've more or less finished the slate wagon from Slaters. It's turned out rather nicely & happy with the weathering. Another unbraked version arrived today so I am already preparing the etched & cleaning it up for assembly.

Really good quality - very crisp.
Why is the middle bar on each side red?

Rik

ge_rik wrote: ↑Thu Mar 24, 2022 8:32 am
Why is the middle bar on each side red?

Rik,
To quote Simon's own post bit further up," I've added a red line for the Greaves, Llechwedd quarry on the centre rail of the wagon as per prototype. "

I don't know the details but I believe quarries each had a different colour code to make sure they got their own wagons back from the ports.

philipy wrote: ↑Thu Mar 24, 2022 9:45 am

ge_rik wrote: ↑Thu Mar 24, 2022 8:32 am
Why is the middle bar on each side red?

Rik,
To quote Simon's own post bit further up," I've added a red line for the Greaves, Llechwedd quarry on the centre rail of the wagon as per prototype. "

I don't know the details but I believe quarries each had a different colour code to make sure they got their own wagons back from the ports.

Sorry, missed that ....
A bit like smearing dye on sheep, then?

Rik

ge_rik wrote: ↑Thu Mar 24, 2022 11:46 am
Sorry, missed that ....
A bit like smearing dye on sheep, then?

Rik

I thought that was so you know which Tupp has been where? Slate waggons didn't err... y'know. Did they?

Lonsdaler wrote: ↑Thu Mar 24, 2022 2:54 pm I thought that was so you know which Tupp has been where? Slate waggons didn't err... y'know. Did they?

That's why the FR had over a thousand of 'em - they're like rabbits...

Lovely wagon, by the way!

I have never seen a cute, furry, slate wagon!

Furry with rust, yes.

Phil.P wrote: ↑Thu Mar 24, 2022 5:46 pm I have never seen a cute, furry, slate wagon!

Furry with rust, yes.

If they weren't so expensive I'd make one haha.

Funnily enough last night I built another start to finish in under 2 hours. The only thing I had done firstly was clean up the parts from the etches & stamp out the rivets.

I will post a picture tonight of the 2 before this next one hits the paint shop.

It was my 40th birthday on Friday (1st April) & I took a trip down to that well known engineering firm in Doncaster to collect 1 loco. Another arrived in the post the following day.

I've been very lucky to get one of this years just finished Palmeston locos from Roundhouse in brunswick green which I had hoped for.
Shes been interesting to fire & get running but with care she steams well. If your thinking of buying one my tip is to light it from under the cylinders not the chimney, keep the gas really low & the cab roof off until the burner settles down. Then turn up the gas.

I also treated myself to a accucraft cranmore peckett. It has no relevance what so ever to Wales but hey ho it's my 40th & I love the peckett works livery.
Shes been a lovely steamer from the word go & I would recommend one to anyone.

My wife passed me a few swift sixteen kits she got me as a gift & I've added a few more to the fleet with money given for my birthday. Its been a railway related 40th & rather expensive but your only 40 once.

My small garden railway is finally going to get its own brake van which I'm planning on doing with custom transfers & some nice details to finish off & maybe even lights.

As always I will keep you posted.

Simon-m wrote: ↑Sun Apr 03, 2022 8:58 pmmy tip is to light it from under the cylinders not the chimney

Always the best way to do it. Put the flame where the heavier-than-air gas is, not where it might be.

Happy Birthday!

My 40th was supposed to be railway-themed, with a family ride on the Severn Valley, but my daughter was under the weather, and we couldn't risk my Grandma's health, so it had to be postponed - come to think of it, it still hasn't happened, maybe we'll do it for my 50th in three years' time?! Because we were going to eat on the train we'd got no food in the house, so I spent the day trudging round the shops in the rain, but had a really good day. There's a lesson there, somewhere...

Nice to see another England on the Forum - I'll be steaming mine at Easter... And the Peckett's just lovely...

All the best,

Andrew.

Thanks Andrew it was a great weekend, I'm just about recovered from a few choice drinks.

Unfortunately the England is going back to Roundhouse, it has issues. It will not stay lit, I can get it to light but it soon goes out & will not re light. Gas is hissing from the burner but it will no light. I have run it once but a slight breeze & its out. Most of my roundhouse engines run in heavy wind & my accucraft peckett would keep going in a hurricane.

I hope its back before Easter as I'm on holiday & I want a steam up.

With the weekend looming all was not well in our house. Our children have all had a sickness bug that's taken half the school with it & many of very ill. Well sods law & all that, my wife starts Friday too.

Thankfully I'm the only one who's not suffered its wrath which I am pleased about. After caring for them all saturday afternoon, they all had an early night & so rather than twiddle my thumbs I set about a loco remote Gravity Griff Ffestiniog slate wagon by Locoremote.

I think I was rather lucky with this one because I don't think he is doing anymore & it's a quirky wagon. I've actually been thinking for sometime before I came along this kit as to how I could make a gravity wagon work with remote control.

The kit is rather simple with all the bits slotting into various bits of the chassis or body. All the wires are pre soldered (extra cost) & its all designed to fit inside the slate load. It's got a clavey models figure specially designed for the kit added on to make it realistic. The model is also sound fitted for the distinct trumpet sound you hear when the gravity train is running.
I plan to get a bit of primer on the various parts today so I can spray it up & weather it. I will keep you posted.