HR d.39 Brake Van Progress

HR d.39 Brake Van from a Lochgorm set of etches.

The window openings have been thickened using the etched shapes supplied by Lochgorm, in addition to these I've made an inner skin to further thicken the walls, this is distanced from the outer skin by spacers to provide a slot into which the glazing slides between the two skins. The inside of the van will be detailed with Slaters' plasticard planking, a section of which you can see in place on the far end wall above the sand box. I've just received a GA drawing from the HRSoc which, though they describe it as "poor", I found readable and very helpful, in fact half of it might be described as being in quite good condition. There'll be a stove and a brake stanchion with wheels and as much additional detail as I can contrive in the van, and of course, I'll model a guard in authentic Highland Railway uniform.

I think I've identified what may be a goods brake van guard in a photo in Tatlow's "Highland Locomotives", he's on page 57 standing in front of Loch an Dorb with a lamp in his hand. I can't identify the lamp unfortunately, it seems to be neither a loco lamp nor a goods brake van lamp.

There's a fine group photo of the station staff at what may be Kyle of Lochalsh among the photos on the HRSChat site. One of the group is a guard, identified by the word appearing on his cap. He looks like the sort of guard you'd see on a mixed train on a branch line or on a goods train. I think the main line passenger train guards were far more impressive in appearance, more like the staff of a Grand Hotel.
I'd like to model an authentic figure for my d.39 van, if anyone knows of any other pictures of HR guards I'd be pleased if they'd let me know.

Chopper Tank & Crew

LNWR 2-4-0T Chopper Tank and Crew

This project is running in parallel with the HR d.39 brake van. I've just sprayed the engine with Halfords' Acid 8 etch-primer. The crew are painted and ready for action; they look exasperated at the time it's taking to get their engine on the rails. The fireman and driver are from my "Heroes of the Footplate" range; they are... Ref. R2 and RW3.

HR D.39 Brake Van

HR D.39 4-wheel Brake Van from a "Lochgorm" kit.

I plan to model fully the interior of this Brake Van. I've made a start by double-skinning the outer ends so the glazing will slip between the inner and outer walls. I plan to do the same to the sides, though at the moment I'm not certain about the construction of the van. Did it, as suggested by the drawing accompanying the kit, have a double skin, being boarded over inside or did it have a framework that was visible inside as is the case with many brake vans I've seen drawings and indeed photos of?

I've soldered the ducket sides in place but I'm not at all convinced about the way they protrude inside the van and extend all the way to the roof. I've tentatively drawn an outline in pencil on the ducket side to suggest how I think they might more likely have been. At the moment I'm not sure how to proceed. I know that information is scarse but can anyone help with any detail of the interior?

It's a curious little van as it has four doors, I can't imagine why it needs so many. 

Paint Shop for the Wee Ben

HR Small Ben frames with inside motion and balance weights.

While stripping down the Wee Ben ready for the Paint Shop I realised that the motion plate was in the wrong place and that the balance weights were back to front. This came about when I chanced upon a drawing of a projected enlarged Small Ben in Cormack and Stevenson's "Highland Railway Locomotives 2". I've had this book on my shelves for ages but never looked at these drawings of engines that were never built before. Anyway, there it was...a drawing that included enough detail of the inside motion to show me that I'd got it wrong. So I put it right and I think it looks better now with the balance weights the right way round. The frames of course are not prototypical in the area of the bogie wheel arch, they are cut away to allow the wheels clearance, which was not the case with the real thing, the frames should curve down to support the motion plate. When the pistons are mounted in the slide bars the motion will be complete. You can see the earlier erroneous version of the inside motion under the Blog sub heading for the Small Ben which contains more construction details and photos.

HR Wee Ben; details of boiler mountings and spectacle plate.

I comissioned an etch for the stepped circular lookout surrounds and I think they improve matters; I have a few left if anyone wants a set. The engine is to be HR No.8 Ben Klibreck. Ben Kilbreck, as it's now known, is a remote mountain in the far North which I climbed a few years back with my wife and the dogs when we were chasing the Munros. I'm pretty sure that No.8 carried an early style brass number plate with the lettering and numbers incised and inlaid in black. As you can see I've mounted the number plate on the cab side already, I'll mask it with tape when I spray the engine.

Highland Railway Coach Complete.

HR D19 3rd Class Coach

The coach body was air brushed with Phoenix P727 HR Dark Green 1885-1912 (Dull). I thought at first it was too dull and tried a coat of gloss varnish but that was too bright and I reverted to a duller finish. The chassis was air brushed and then dry-brushed by hand though not extensively. The couplings were blackened with Carr's Metal Black, which is more durable in use that paint.

HR D19 Interior with Passengers.

The interior was more difficult than the exterior as there was a lot of masking to be done and everything took several coats of paint. I think I made it even more difficult by gluing the seats in the compartments before I painted them; I painted them by hand to give them some texture and it took at least three coats of paint. I've only done a basic job on the interior, there's very little detail though it looks fine from outside even without the pictures on the bulkhead above the seats. I might add these later, I'm not sure if there was a mirror there as well, anyway it's a detail that will have to wait as I've started work on the Wee Ben...stripped her down, getting her ready for the paint shop.  

Visitors at CD0GG Open Day

Caledonian Railway 264T Class engine with a goods train in the scenic section of the layout at CD0GG.

NBR/LNER agricultural implement wagon with Fordson "F" crawler tractor load.

Caledonian Goods Brake Van brings up the rear.

CR 264T Class 0-4-0 with wooden tender heads the train.

Caledonian Single No 123 awaits her turn in the sidings, a welcome visitor.

I resolved to take only finished painted stock to the club Open Day today in Carlisle and to this end I assembled a short goods train of appropriate stock headed by my trusty Caledonian Railway 264T Class engine. I took a petrol tank wagon built from a Slaters' kit; my recently finished NBR "IMP" with its tractor load and a Caledonian goods brake van that I built some time ago from etches supplied by Caley Coaches, to bring up the rear. The fine scenic section of the CD0GG layout proved to be a very effective setting in which to photograph the train, I think you'll agree it looked a treat.

Fordson "F" Crawler on NBR "IMP".

Fordson "F" Crawler on NBR/LNER Dia. 99B

Tractor roped and blocked on the wagon deck.

I have a backlog of models, including 4 engines and 2 coaches, which have been waiting in the sidings for the paint shop for far too long, and I intend to address this as a matter of importance. In fact I've already begun work and my HR D19 6-wheel coach is well underway and... as you can see in the accompanying illustrations, I've actually finished the NBR wagon with its tractor load in good time to run at the weekend at the Members Day at CD0GG in Carlisle. The tractor, in the absence of any firm evidence, is roped and blocked onto the wagon bed in the way that I'd do it rather than in the regulation manner of the LNER. The word "SIGHTHILL" on the wagon curb rail presented a problem as I'd no transfer for it so it had to be contrived with a mixture of a few individual transfer letters and a few painted ones. The key to this problem being a new 00 sable paint brush that I bought this morning in Cockermouth, in one of the few remaining art shops in Cumbria.
The crawler tractor is being taken up to the north of Scotland  to replace some poor old horses that are due for retirement from the Forestry Commission, they'll be glad to see it.