Friday, 22 April 2022

Weight Watching

Himself has been tinkering with the prototype flat wagon to try and improve its ability to stay on the rails.

The first runs at the Glasgow show suggested that the all-resin construction is a little on the light side when faced with the kind of complicated point work we have in our fiddle yards.

His idea was to fix a layer of 'liquid lead' shot on the underside of the wagon floor and I'm told initial tests suggest it is an improvement.

Were I to make a second version I think I might experiment with adding some lead shot when I pour the resin into the mould for the base of the floor which is hidden with the durbar plating.

I did consult a friend who is a doctor of chemistry to ask if mixing lead and resin was a foolish idea? 

But his advice was it should be no more toxic than casting with resin already is....

Saturday, 16 April 2022

The Last Bowsider

Things have been a little quiet in the world of Bron Hebog these last few weeks - at least on this blog - but we've been quietly working away on various projects in the background and one of them is ready to break cover.

Himself has been painstakingly painting and lining our model of bowsider 18 in its current peak-Victorian livery.

This is a Worsley Works brass kit and the gold lining is all done using the narrowest of the waterside lining and corners range from Fox Transfers.

I think it looks absolutely gorgeous.


This completes our set of vintage bogie carriages, although I suspect Allan Garraway would have had something to say about the order they've been marshalled for the 'works photograph'.

Himself would probably had been summoned to the managerial suite and informed - in no uncertain terms - that this is not an Irish tramway!