Venting

As well as the Vale of Ffestiniog II, Himself has been doing some work on replica carriage 21 this week.

Now all the detailing work has been done it has been sprayed with primer ready for the application of its green / ivory livery with red ends.

It's adding the small details which really lift these Worsley Works kits, such as the ornate door grab handles, and the vents at the top of the doors.

These were made from a single strip of styrene which was scored with parallel lines and propped up with a smaller strip behind.

This was shaped subtly and chopped into the small lengths and glued in place.

Dissatisfied Customer

A complaint has flooded in!

Last week I cast a set of bogie frames for Vale of Ffestiniog (II) for Himself, but I am informed they are not up to scratch.

The problem seems to be the bottom half, which attaches to the swivelling bogie of the Farish chassis, is shorter than it should have been.

As a result, Himself has decided to use the upper casting, which is fixed to the chassis block, and scratch build a set of the lower parts.

These pictures give a good illustration of how we solved the problem of the bogie frames on the Funkeys being much taller than those on your typical 2mm scale diesel, and I think its quite an effective illusion.

You can also see how he attaches other extra details like the air tanks to the chassis block.

So there you go, that's customers for you. No pleasing them sometimes.

Honestly, who'd be a model manufacturer?

I'm Sorry, I Model 009

Recently I find myself bemused by the self-censorship being shown by what we'll call the 009 community online towards manufacturers in commenting on their new products, and intrigued by why this should be so?

Bemused, because I'm struggling - off the top of my head - to think of any other area where, as consumers, we encourage each other to keep our opinions to ourselves and be grateful for what we get.

You probably won't be surprised to read that the source of this disquiet is the forthcoming Peco / Kato England engine, where those who have put fingers to keyboard with observations (not complaints!) about the good and no-so-good aspects we can see in the samples have been dismissed as critics, whingers, nit-pickers and rivet-counters.

That's pretty standard fare for model forums, and I would suggest the debate on this product has been far more measured than I've seen when the subject has been 3D printing or the profusion of steam locomotives with tram chassis.

And yet in recent days I have seen two major threads deleted because moderators have clearly decided (without explaining why) that these discussions need to be closed down.

There were a number of people posting - before their words were expunged from the record - who seemed to believe there was a risk that somehow all this chatter would upset the manufacturers, and frighten them off from continuing their investment in ready-to-run 4mm narrow gauge after decades where there were no British outline products on offer.

I do believe that's a rather naive view.

These are commercial organisations. They make and market products because - and only because - they believe they will get a return on their investment.

They are not doing us a favour by moving into 009.

If they were doing it out of benevolence it would surely have happened before now.

No, they're doing it because they've stumbled across an untapped market, and they're all racing to grab the biggest share.

Think of model railways like a slate mine. (Very narrow gauge.)

They've been quarrying 00 for all it's worth for decades, but the vein is becoming thinner and the walls between the chambers are down to their minimum thickness.

They're scrabbling around looking for increasingly obscure prototypes - indeed, these days we see them releasing prototype, one-off locomotives - and there are new competitors trying to grab a share of their market.

So in 009 they've found a new, unquarried hill, and they're tunnelling in from all sides staking their claim.

Do you really think they're going abandon the workings because of vigorous appraisal of their new products online?

(I'll drop the slate metaphor now, you'll be relieved to know.)

A lot of old sayings have a lot of truth to them, and one of them is: there's no such thing as bad publicity.

If you're bringing out a new product the one thing you want most - other than sales - is for people to be talking about it, especially if you're aiming to expand what its currently a small market.

I don't believe manufacturers would be put off by their product becoming the burning topic on a forum or a Facebook page, I suspect they're probably delighted.

And if it happens some of that feedback is negative, or pointing out shortcomings, the wisest thing is to consider it part of your market research, especially if it's your first product.

I've written many times here that I'm ecstatic to see manufacturers discover 009, and the more the merrier,

But I also don't see why any of us should make any apologies for expecting these models are the best they can be, and match the standards of detail, performance and specification that is offered in other scales.

These are not bargain basement products.

We are being invited to spend three figure sums investing in these products, so it's not unreasonable of us to expect the best, and to comment on whether we believe we're getting it or not.

I don't see any of these manufacturers withdrawing after a critical magazine review, so why should the actual potential customers feel the need to self-censor?

Bendy Wagon Project

One of the things I'll be getting on with in the next few weeks (although how much time I'll have amid covering the chaos of the Cop26 climate summit is questionable) is a commission to make another model of the FR's very bendy tool box van.

You can read more about the story behind our scratch built version here.

Now I've just got to try to remember what I did and make an exact copy.

My customer has already provided me with a pair of Dundas Hudson skip wagon chassis which are the basis of the running gear.

The two wheels under the central platform are non-rotating dummies which have had their tyres removed.

I suppose it would be possible to find a way to make them work, but you only really notice they're there when you turn the thing upside down, so there doesn't seem to be that much point in bothering.

Which is all very amusing when I reflect on how some people contributing to certain online forums appear to have me ranked as a rivet-counting perfectionist for my - I thought quite balanced and fair - critique of the new RTR England locomotive.

If they ever looked closely at any of my models they'd realise nothing could be further from the truth!

Too Funkey

This week Himself's been doing a bit more work on version 2 of Vale of Ffestiniog.

Most of it is stuff you don't immediately see, such as making sure the body is sitting level and square on the Farish diesel chassis, and matching it up against its clone to make sure the ride height is set correctly.

In this front view you get a good look at some of the extra details Himself adds to these Worsley Works body kits.

The most obvious is the light clusters down near the buffer beam abd in the centre above the cab windows.

He's also fashioned the lip around the hole for the coupling shaft as well as the handrails, vac pipe and - new on this version - the lamp bracket in the centre between the lights.

Unfortunately - I think - this version won't have the lovely big twin headlamps because in the form he's chosen, it now has a rather less impressive set of square LED lights, much the same as those on the recently restored Garratt 130.

At my end I have cast the large fake bogie side frames and I'll hand those onto him the next time I'm passing.

Multi-Shade Shunter

For a humble yard shunter the Dinas-based Baguley Drewry number 9 carries an exotic mix of colours.

Himself is making solid progress adding the green and orange sections to the yellow base on the body.

The very fine band midway up the cab sheets has been covered with a waterslide transfer and will most likely be picked out in the same darker shade used on the top of the bonnet.

The orange on the rods and fly cranks certainly helps them to stand out and will look great when it's moving.

Pegging Out

I'm always amused by how often common household objects take on a second life as handy modelling tools.

Last night I found myself raiding the washing line to use the pegs to hold together parts of the cardboard Metcalfe Models platform kit I was making up for my son's 00 side of the 'test track'.

It wasn't just the pegs.

I later stole the brass weights from the olde worlde scales in the kitchen to help keep the strengthening pieces in position while the glue dried.

These weights are regularly employed when I am resin casting to keep the clear plastic in place on top of the open mould and give the casting a nice, smooth back.

There isn't any more narrow gauge news to pass on this weekend.

Himself became separated from his magnifying visor during the week, which he left at my house after another wiring session on the test track, so small scale fiddly work was out of the question until I was able to return it to him.

The Vale Again

Himself has decided we need another model of the FR's Funkey Vale of Ffestiniog.

We've had a model for years, built from the Worsley Works scratch aid kit, and finished in the National Power livery it first appeared in after the magnificent rebuild by our much-missed friend, Steve Coulson.

In recent years, though, the loco has sported a two-tone green livery looking just like a 1960's class 47, and it appears Himself would like one for us too.

Unfortunately it's not a case of just building a new body to swap onto the existing chassis, because the 'blue brick' had a light grey underframe and bogies and the repainted one has those bits painted black.

I thought this might be an issue, because the Farish 91 chassis is like hens teeth to get hold of these days, selling for silly money on eBay whenever they appear, but I had forgotten that many years ago Himself invested in a spare, so that's what will go under this one.

He's been working on putting together the body, with it's very tricky angles, and correcting the errors in the kit such as the over-long roof.

My contribution will be to cast the new side frames for the bogies.

 

Englands Glory?

The appearance last week of images of decorated samples of the Peco / Kato FR England models has been greeted with almost universal acclaim in the online 009 community, so I suspect I am not going to make myself very popular by giving a more nuanced appraisal of what we've been shown.

Like everyone I am overjoyed to see the appearance of a ready-to-run model of my all-time favourite narrow gauge engines, and I have no doubt at all that these will be a terrific commercial success.

They look to be night and day by comparison to anything that has been possible with the many kits produced over the decades, and for that the designers and manufacturers are to be congratulated.

As far as can be seen from these images the finish looks to be superb, and there's no doubt they have captured the look and feel of these iconic FR locos, and I am very pleased indeed to see the very distinctive Small England wheels have been replicated, and the motion - although apparently not to the fish belly profile - looks suitably slender.

The lining looks crisp and the rivet detailing delightful.

Do you sense I'm building up to a but?

You're right, and more than one.

Judging from these pictures I'm left with a nagging feeling of frustration of what might have been if the makers had gone the whole way and striven to make the most accurate representations of the individual locomotives rather than compromise on a generic tooling.

Let's face it, if there's just one thing readers of this blog must have realised by now it is that identical' is not a word in the FR lexicon!

To begin with let's look at the most obvious example on this pair: the nameplate on Prince.

It's the same length as the one on Princess.

Since when? 

Anyone who has cast even the most cursory glance at the real locomotives, or any photos of them, surely cannot miss that the plate (and mounting block) on Prince is so obviously shorter.

I'm sorry if this seems harsh, but when they've gone to the effort of fitting different smokebox handrails on the two models to not find a way to alter the nameplates is a poor show.

The slidebars and the mounting bracket also look a little toy-like from this distance - a bit too much like what we've got on the ancient Ibertren chassis under our existing Langley white metal kits.

Other reviewers have picked up on the whistles and the lining around the rear of the cab.

These may seem like trivial complaints, especially in the context of the decades we have waited for manufacturers to discover 009, but the reality is that now that they have these compromises on models such as these are not where the rest of the market is.

(They'll still fly off the shelves, though...)

When this project was announced there was great anticipation of the Kato chassis, but I see now this model will be fitted with a traction tyre - is this the 1980s? - and I have seen conflicting reports about whether or not it will be DCC ready or even DCC compatible?

Let's not pretend that it's because the model is too small.  Bachmann have found a way to make room for decoders in their Quarry Hunslets which are tiny compared to the capacious saddle tanks on an England.

That won't affect whether or not we'll buy some - we surely will - because our layouts are DC, but some of the translated literature suggests the prototypes have hauled 3 (!) Peco carriages on level track, even with their rubber tyres.

That's a little worrying if, like us, you have a layout with gradients. Hopefully something was lost in translation there.

Ultimately, I know what is at the route of my comparative disappointment at this model.

It was an open secret that another manufacturer was intending to make 4mm models of these locomotives - indeed, had gone so far as to measure them up - and it would appear that these models were announced as a spoiler.

Well, I guess all's fair in love, war and business, but I believe what we have ended up with, in this very pretty, slightly generic England, is a far cry from what we were likely to get (eventually) if the other firm had been left to it.

And that's a shame.

Showtime Again!

A very exciting email arrived in my inbox at the weekend confirming not only the return of the Model Rail Scotland exhibition in Glasgow in February, but also an invitation to bring Bron Hebog.

Needless to say we jumped at the opportunity to show the layout for the first time in nearly two and a half years.

(I don't mind admitting that there have been times during this pandemic when I wondered whether we ever would again?)

On a personal level it seems quite weird to be thinking about returning to those giant SEC halls for something as frivolous as a model railway exhibition.

For most of 2020 the place had been transformed into an enormous emergency Covid-19 hospital, and right now the place is in the process of being turned into Fort Knox as the venue for the Cop26 climate change summit.

Come February, all being well, our Backwoods Garratts will spend three days coffee-grinding their way around the S-bends with what must be the longest and heaviest 009 trains you'll see running on any layout in the UK.

It's a great show, and Glasgow's a great city.  It will wonderful to get back to exhibiting, and we'd love to see you there!

Covid Safe Carriage

I'll never get tired of making the argument on the treatment of the FR's modern relics - such as Earl of Merioneth and the tin cars - that things which happened yesterday will one day become tomorrow's heritage.

This is probably what lies behind my decision that our model of the replica carriage 21 should be made with the temporary plywood 'covid safe' compartment dividers in place, rather than its 'historic' - and future? - condition with fresh air between the seat backs.

Horrible and traumatic as it has been, I think it's important that in our relief at getting back to 'normal' life we do not discard the memories of what we've all been through.

The FR's response at the height of the crisis, and the operating model which was adopted, will, I believe, become seen as a very significant moment in the railway's history.

I'm not privy to the thoughts of the railway's management beyond what is shared in public communications, but I can see the sense in retaining many of the aspects of the way the business has been forced to operate for the last two seasons, such as the use of pre-booking tickets to match operating capacity (and costs) to demand.

Who knows if public sensibilities will change permanently, and whether from now on passengers will prefer to have a solid physical divide when sitting back-to-back with strangers in a narrow gauge carriage?

But presuming that these temporary panels will eventually be removed, I think it's only fitting that we have a reminder, in model form, that represents just one of the many changes we all had to accept as a society to get through this.

Brexit Yellow

Himself took the decision on which colour scheme to paint diesel 9 out of my hands by giving the bodyshell a couple of coats of yellow before the pixels had appeared on your screen in the previous post about this model.

As always, our readership was quick to point out the gaps in my knowledge, and it turns out that what I assumed was faded paint on the bonnet at one point was, in fact, just undercoat!

Being more familiar with the stringent paint shop procedures at Boston Lodge it hadn't occurred to me that a half-painted locomotive would be left out in the yard, and used, but I guess that's the difference at Dinas.

I'm rather pleased with how well the resin cast bonnet doors look now they're painted to match the rest of the body. 

We haven't attempted an exactl colour match but have used the closest Hunbrol tin we can find to the pictures of the real locomotive, which I'm told is painted 'JCB yellow'.

Or, as other readers have suggested, that shade should perhaps be called 'Brexit Yellow' on account of the political views of the chairman.

Although given the current state of the economy and society in these islands I'd suggest that prefix might be more appropriate for a particular shade of brown....

Unforgiving Benches

I always consider the return of Strictly on the telly as the start of modelling season.

Especially during the early rounds of the series it keeps the ladies of the house entertained for long enough on a Saturday night for me to sneak off to the study and get a decent amount of work done - more than two hours worth in this case.

While Adam Peaty and the other celebs were wiggling their hips I was merrily chopping and bonding styrene to make a start on the interior for carriage 21, starting with the bench seats.

This carriage is unusual because the compartments above the bogies have the floor raised up, which is different to the Ashbury carriages inherited from the NWNGR / WHR.

The one thing I'd forgotten - until Himself pointed it out - is that it will have have to be split up in order to get it into place.

I've been building it from above, with the roof off.

But once that's soldered in place the only way in is from underneath, and I haven't accounted for the 1cm wide plates at the end of the carriage which the floor bolts onto.

It should be an easy fix.

Diesel Embellishments

Himself has completed the detailing work on WHR diesel number 9.

As mentioned in the previous post about this model, it's transpired that this particular locomotive is a longer, and a little wider, than the standard Baguley Drewry diesel of this type which RT Models based these prototype etches on.

However, once you start to add on all these extras - such as the lights, the lamp brackets, the housing for the exhauster, the exhause pipe, steps, and brake pipes - they draw the eye so much that I wonder how much it will notice that it's slightly too small?

Since we built the Harrogate Peckett I've been impressed with the kits produced by RT, which are certainly a step up from the 'scratch aid' etches on offer from Worsley Works (and that's not a criticism, by the way) but I think these images show just how much these can be enhanced by making the effort to scratch build the embellishments, and it's a shame I see so many models where this is not attempted.

I look forward to seeing how this progresses during the painting stage.

I guess the next question is whether we finish it ex-works with all the sunshine yellow livery all over, or if the bonnet should have the washed-out, faded look of the real loco?

On The Deck

I've cast, cut and fitted the sheets of Durbar plating for the FR infrastructure department's well wagon and I'm quite pleased with how it's looking.

There are still a few more details I need to try and recreate, such as the rings which are there to tie down the loads on the deck, and I need to fill the holes in the axle boxes of my home made bogies,

Before long I'll pass it over to Himself to fit some couplings, vac pipes and things like that, and he can give some test running to see whether it will be a practicable item of rolling stock on the layout or not?