Category Archives: Workbench Witterings

General, Painting & Decorating, Techniques, Workbench, Workbench Witterings

Workbench Witterings #3 a change of S15 identity to the Maunsell Locomotive Society’s 30847

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This weekend I finished changing the identity of one of Hornby’s excellent S15 Class 4-6-0 models to represent 30847 one of the locomotives preserved by the Maunsell Locomotive Society. I carried out the work on behalf the Company Secretary of the Society and it was a pleasure to assist him in getting a model of 30847, that has been lovingly restored by members of the Society, and has seen frequent service on the Bluebell Railway.
Further details on the actual 847 / 30847 can be found on the Maunsell Locomotive Society’s website here, in addition to 847 they also have U class 2-60’s Nos. 1618 & 1638, Q class 0-6-0 No. 541 and Schools Class V 4-4-0 No. 928. If you are interested in joining and supporting the Society click here. 

Carrying her new identity as 30847 just prior to the cabsides gaining a coat of satin varnish.

The donor locomotive was a Hornby R3328 No. 30843,  although I have detailed my method of changing model identities on this site before and I generally followed my usual processes, I detail them again here for reference. In this instance I did not require to repaint the model and for a change I would be giving the locomotive a BR identity.

Another view of 30847 the replacement smokebox door number can just be seen.
Another view of 30847, the replacement smokebox door number can just be seen.

I actually removed the entire number on each cabside rather than just try and change the last digit (as generally the available transfers never quite exactly match the factory applied numbers) using good quality enamel thinners on a cotton bud, this also leaves the are where the numerals have been removed as a shiny surface finish which is good for the application of the replacement transfers. I took care not remove the existing small 6F power classification printing. I then replaced the numbers starting with the centre digit ‘8’ and working outwards on both cabsides, as this I find it easier to keep the numerals level, using HMRS Pressfic transfers sheet 14 BR steam era loco and coach insignia.   To seal the number transfers and retrun the cabsides to an ex-factory finish I masked off the model just leaving the cabsides exposed and sprayed with a light coat of Railmatch satin varnish.
The smokebox door number plate was changed using transfers from the Fox Transfers FRH4099/003 – Southern Region Smokebox Numbersets 30726-31059 set which simply and neatly covers the existing printed number plate.
To complete the identity change I fitted one of the very fine (and small!) etched shed code plates for 72B (Salisbury) also from Fox Transfers. Finally I finished the model by adding its detail pack of brake rigging on both loco and tender, front steps and cylinder drain pipes, although it should be noted that the packing does require some trimming to allow the model to fit back in once these items have been fitted.

I hope the owner will be pleased with his S15, now 30847, and if readers are able to support the Maunsell Locomotive Society in anyway, I am sure you will be more than welcome.

With a break from real work planned over the Christmas period I hope to be able complete a number of outstanding projects so watch this space for further ‘Workbench Witterings’.

 

 

Fisherton Sarum, General, Painting & Decorating, Techniques, Workbench, Workbench Witterings

Workbench Witterings #2 Another repaint completed and the weathering queue gets longer

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Fresh off the workbench today is a Hornby Schools Class R2844 number 30934 “St Lawrence” in early BR lined black but in my time honoured fashion, as per my post here,  has been repainted and renumbered to appear as Number 929 “Malvern” in Southern post war black livery. Again this is one of those projects I started a while ago but felt was about time I progressed nearer to completion.

Hornby Schools Class now repainted into SR post war black, numbered and named as 929 ‘Malvern’. Now just awaits weathering.

Following repainting and HMRS decals being applied, her “Malvern” nameplates, from Fox Transfers were fixed and the separately fitted details such as pipework, windows and safety valves refitted.  Real coal has also been added to the tender. She now awaits weathering as per my usual methods, I tend to wait until I have a number of items ready for weather to get the most from setting up the airbrush and spray booth etc.

Schools class number 929 “Malvern” was one of only seven members of the class not to regain malachite green livery after the war, but stayed in SR black until January 1949 when she was renumbered to 30929 and outshopped in British Railways lined black.
She was allocated to Bournemouth shed in 1946 before moving to Brighton in 1947> The Schools class were not often seen at Salisbury, but from the perspective of Fisherton Sarum, she might have arrived on one of the Brighton to Plymouth services that changed locomotives at Salisbury, that’s my excuse anyway…

Fisherton Sarum, HW&DMRS, Rolling Stock, Techniques, Workbench, Workbench Witterings

Workbench Witterings #1 A 45T steam crane and a green Van ‘B’

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As promised a few posts ago when I first opened the box on my Wild Boar Models  45T Ransomes and Rapier Steam Breakdown Crane I thought it was about time I started “a whats on my workbench” type series of posts, so welcome to the first of my “Workbench Witterings“. I am sure I am similar to many modellers in that I have a large number of both unstarted and or unfinished projects on the go,  so hopefully this series of posts might encourage me to actually get on with completing a few of the outstanding things currently on the go…

The Wild Boar Models 45T Ransomes and Rapier SR steam crane is nearly complete, just the rigging to go. I have modelled number 1561S

First up then is progress on the above mentioned 45T steam crane. Following the comprehensive instructions for this kit has been pretty easy and all the parts, a mix of 3D printed and brass etchings have good together really well and enabled painting to commence. Where the parts needed to simply clip in place or be held with brass wire acting as hinge pins such as between the weight relieving trucks and the main carriage or the crane body and the jib the they have done so very easily. The rest of the items including the etched brass detailing parts such as handwheels and cast name and information plates have been attached with superglue. The components were then primed using the the trusted Halfords plastic primer rattle can and then top coat brush painted using Humbrol matt 32 to represent the SR Grey livery as first carried by  the SR steam cranes before they became black in early British Railways days. I took the opportunity last week to give her a test run on the High Wycombe and District MRS test track and all was fine, although a little additional weight has now been added to the underside of the main carriage truck. All that is needed to complete is the rigging from the fine cotton supplied as part of the kit.

The Hornby Van B is now in malachhite green as number 231. I have also replaced the roof ventilators with white metal castings.

Secondly is the repaint of a Hornby Bogie Van B from its original blue livery to malachite green, embarrassingly looking back at this blog post here I actually started this at the end of last year! Before reassembling the Van B I took the opportunity to replace Hornby’s representation of the roof vents. Although these are separate mouldings  I felt they looked a little flat so replaced them with some suitable cast white metal ventilators from my coaching stock bits box (but I think there were originally obtained from Southern Pride Models) and then repainted the roof. She now awaits some weathering before she enters my operational fleet on Fisherton Sarum.

Now to kick off / complete a few more projects so watch this space…

 

 

 

 

 

Fisherton Sarum, Model News, Workbench, Workbench Witterings

45T Ransomes & Rapier Steam Breakdown Crane 3D printed kit from Wild Boar Models

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Wild Boar Models develop and produce a number of 3D printed 4mm scale kits including a 45T Ransomes and Rapier Steam Breakdown Crane based on the two that were supplied (procured by the Government) to the Southern Railway, four to the Great Western Railway and a further two to the Ministry of Supply /  LNER under wartime conditions in 1940. The kit has been made possible by the evolving technology of 3D printing. The kit was available, and indeed I purchased mine, before the Bachmann announcement last month, reported here,  that they intend to also produce a Ransomes and Rapier 45T Steam Breakdown Crane, although Bachmann have not fully started the development of their model so the actual versions they intend to produce is not yet known.

Front cover of the excellent instruction book

The design was based on the 36T cranes supplied to the Southern Railway in 1937 with a modified carriage to suit the increased capacity.
The two supplied to the Southern Railway were numbered 1560S (later British Railway numbers DS1560 and ADRR95209) and 1561S (DS1561 and ADRR95210). Number 1561S is preserved and is currently located on the Swanage Railway.
The two Southern Railway cranes were prior to nationalisation based at Guildford / Nine Elms and Feltham, the crane allocated at Salisbury was in fact a 36T version, so not totally correct for Fisherton Sarum but will hopefully make appearances nevertheless.

The impressively and well thought out kit and supplied box

The kit, although at first glace might seem a little pricey at £167 (including Post and Packing) impressively contains everything that you need as in addition to the 3D printed parts it includes wheels, bearings, sprung buffers, wire, etched plates and detail parts and even the cord for the rigging. NEM coupling pockets are provided along with tension lock couplings that can be fitted if required.

The comprehensive instruction booklet

Also included is an excellent, professionally produced and printed instruction manual with prototype information including pictures, very step by step instructions and diagrams. It has the feel of the excellent instructions provided within LEGO Technic kits of my childhood. Even the box with a machine cut foam insert for all the parts, including a pre-cut area to locate and protect the completed model, is very impressive and well thought out.

An example off the parts supplied with the kit

As with most 3D printed parts at the moment there is some cleaning up to be carried out  due to the linear printing process, but they have designed the kit to minimise the impact of this. I intend to post details of this kit build as I progress on a proposed new blog section “Workbench Witterings” so what this space.

Further details on the prototype cranes that this kit is based on can be found on the excellent website of the Breakdown Crane Association and also within Peter Tatlow’s excellent book “Railway Breakdown Cranes, the story of breakdown cranes on the railways of Britain volume 2” ISBN 978-1-906419-97-4