ROTY - Part 2

Welcome to the second instalment in our review of the modelling year

May

Himself began a new project this month.

 For a long time I'd been intending to replace our models of the original FR bogie carriages 15 and 16 which I scratch built in styrene over 20 years ago and which were finished in late 1980's liveries and so really not suitable for running on Bron Hebog.

If these lovely Worsley Works etches had been available back in the 1990's then there is no way I would ever have attempted to scratch build such an intricate, panelled carriage myself!

This is number 16 which will be finished in the 1920's Colonel Stephens green livery.

Himself was also working on redesigning the fiddle yards on the layout with overlapping upper and lower yards to allow us to run full-length WHR trains.

June

I'd been working away on that row of houses for a few months and at last we had a row of three almost ready for painting.

I find I can get a little bored when working on one project solidly like this, so I decided to put the house building on hold once the 3rd one was complete and resumed work on the Garraway Set which had been on ice since the start of the year.

11 was assembled and a roof fitted before I began work on the interior.

July

It's becoming a familiar theme, but once again I gave myself a kick up the backside and resolved that the time had come to begin building a model that I'd been planning in my head for ages.

And so in the space of a few weeks I produced this model of the WHR water tank wagon which was built up on a DZ wagon chassis.

The tank, if you were wondering, was made with a length of 22mm plastic plumbing pipe.

The Artistic Director had one of his periodic bursts of activity and produced a mock-up of the Cwm Cloch farm house before finalising the design for me to build.

Here it is placed on the layout to check for fit and scaling.

August

Redesigning the fiddle yards was turning into quite a marathon project.

Himself spent making weeks wiring up these control panels at either end.

At the other end of the country I started work on building the farm house with the intention that even if it would not be finished we would at least have something presentable to place in the space for the big event of the year which was coming in September - taking both layouts to show at the WHR Great and Small event at Dinas.

And that's where we'll pick up for the final instalment of our review of the year.

New For Dinas

Our model of Brown, Marshalls number is 16 ready for action this weekend.

This has been build from a Worsley Works, brass scratch-aid kit to show the carriage running in its present condition for use on Bron Hebog.

Our existing model was scratch built in styrene more than 20 years ago and is finished in all over red livery as the carriage was running in 1988.

That's fine for trundling around on Dduallt, as it will be at Dinas, but it was clear we would have to start a vintage fleet renewal for the new layout and 16 is the second to be completed after a 2nd version of van 10.

Over the winter the intention is for it to be joined by the new 11 & 12 which I scratch built over the summer.

I'm particularly pleased with the way the interior of the first class and coupe compartment show up.

The photo is a little dark so I'm really looking forward to seeing it with my own eyes when the Welsh Highland Great & Small show begins on Friday.

Colourful Carriages

Himself is very busy attempting to finish off some more rolling stock with the exhibition at Dinas just a little over a week away now.

Carriage 16 looks a real rainbow of colours when it is disassembled like this..

He's also been putting the finishing touches to the third of the 1st generation Super Barns 108...

It isn't just carriages, either.

Work has restarted on our new Conway Castle

The main blocks of colour are all there and the challenge now is to add the rather complicated lining where they meet.

Return To Rolling Stock

I've had enough of houses for the moment, I need a break from buildings.

So with an evening to myself I thought I'd make a start on the interior for our new number 16, which has been built up from a Worsley Works brass body kit.

I got on so well that, as you can see, it was finished after just two and a half hours work which goes to show two things:

a) How fiddly and time consuming scratch building these houses has been.

and

b) How much modelling you can get done on the rare occasions when the rest of the family are either out or asleep in bed!

I have been given designs for two more of the Oberon Wood houses but I think next I will return to finish off carriages 11 & 12.

The sides and ends have been built and have spent the last couple of months being squashed in a photo album to keep them flat.

It would be nice if I could finish off the construction and persuade Himself to expedite their passage through the paint shop in time September when we take both layouts to the WHR Super Power even.

That way we'll have a set of 11 & 12 to run on each of the layouts.

Empty Shell

I've been sent the brass body of our new carriage 16 with the expectation that I'll make up an interior for it in styrene.

It'll have to take its place in the queue behind the current house I'm building but it shouldn't be too much trouble.

It has been made up from a Worsley Works scratch-aid kit.  They can be a little tricky to put together, I understand, but if done so neatly and with care they make very nice models.

Being number 16 it includes the famous coupe compartment once graced by former Liberal Prime Minister David Lloyd George.

Remember them??

Try Again

So having made something of an FR modelling beginner's error the last time we're trying again with a replacement carriage 16.

If you were logging in here a couple of months ago you'll recall we were misled into purchasing a Worsley Works scratch-aid kit for number 15 when what we wanted to make was a model of 16 in its current Col. Stephens era livery.

The giveaway - which somewhat embarrassingly I had to have pointed out by a reader - were the windows in the ends of the carriage and the beading along the solebar cover.

Having obtained a replacement Himself has soldered together the body and the chassis which comes with the kit.

Just like with my scratch built modern carriages the roof will be fixed in place and the body detaches.

Next it will be posted up to me to make up an interior before Himself finishes it off.

And in case you were wondering the bogies, which are so well hidden on these Victorian vehicles, are Parkside Dundas FR bogies.

Not that anyone's ever going to see them, of course....

Change Of Plan

So, it turns out we're not making a 16 after all.

I didn't look closely enough at the picture Himself sent me of the Worsley Works etches and was left red-faced by a correspondent on our Facebook page who pointed out that what we had could only be used to make a model of 15 in its current ornate Victorian condition.

I looked again and the penny dropped with a clang! How could I not have noticed the big windows in the ends or the fancy covers on the frames.

Unfortunately, as you can see, Himself had already started to put it together so now he's got no choice but to try and replicate all the intricate gold leaf lining on the carriage.

I feat the air is about to turn blue...

Fleet Replacement Programme

The process of upgrading and replacing our rolling stock to better suit the era we're modelling with Bron Hebog continues.

While I am scratch building new models of brake vans 11 and 12 in styrene Himself has taken delivery of a set of Worsley Works etches for the first bogie carriages 15 / 16.

Our existing models of these were ones I built in styrene more than 20 years ago. They're showing their age and are wearing liveries from the last 1980's so ultimately it would be good to replace both of them.

To spare Himself an horrendously complicated paint job I am minded to express a preference for finishing this first one as 16 in its current Col Stephens green livery and it can be run with our replacement for Van 10 which is just being finished off.