Great Bunbury, a Shropshire light railway terminus

Hi Robert,

Many thanks for your reply - I think pre-staining is a good idea, that and being less generous with the glue! I'm quite pleased with the effect overall and I think the technique bears pursuing.

I've had reservations about using real wood to represent scale wood for that very reason, the grain. However, it can be very difficult to get "right" using styrene or even card. You're absolutely right about using wood with the finest available grain, and I was going to try Lime from Cornwall Model Boats but I'll also have a look at Mantua Models as well.

Thanks again and best regards,
Mark
Hi Mark, I’ve had a couple of batches from Cornwall Model Boats but found the quality was variable. My last supply came from Mantua which seemed on the whole better. I sadly miss Model Dockyard who shut a few years ago…
 

2996 Victor

Western Thunderer
Hi Mark, I’ve had a couple of batches from Cornwall Model Boats but found the quality was variable. My last supply came from Mantua which seemed on the whole better. I sadly miss Model Dockyard who shut a few years ago…
Thanks, Robert, that's good to know! I've got Mantua in my bookmarks so I'll go there first, I think.

Thank again!

Mark
 

Dave

Western Thunderer
That is a superb locomotive! Sounds like it's not a great choice for a beginner, though :D May I ask what motor/gearbox combination you used?

Cheers,
Mark
Hi Mark,

I think it is a High Level Roadrunner + The motor is an N20, which is the equivalent of the Mashima 10/15. It is mounted vertically in the firebox and drives the centre axle.
 

2996 Victor

Western Thunderer
Hi Mark,

I think it is a High Level Roadrunner + The motor is an N20, which is the equivalent of the Mashima 10/15. It is mounted vertically in the firebox and drives the centre axle.
Thanks, Dave, that's brilliant! I've got a High Level chassis kit for a GWR 14xx to do with one of their gearboxes. Should be good practice..... :D

Cheers,
Mark
 

Joe's Garage

Western Thunderer
I like the platform using the wood, I may use the same idea on my “Another attempt” O gauge layout to simulate sleeper construction. Thanks for sharing the images and information on the types of wood and Mantua Models of Windsor.
Cheers Julian
 

2996 Victor

Western Thunderer
I like the platform using the wood, I may use the same idea on my “Another attempt” O gauge layout to simulate sleeper construction. Thanks for sharing the images and information on the types of wood and Mantua Models of Windsor.
Cheers Julian
Hi Julian,
Glad to be of help - it's certainly a technique that has a good deal of merit. As others have said, it's perhaps better suited to scales larger than 4mm.
But I think if I take much more care, particularly with the glue, and then sand with fine paper before staining, it can look good and is definitely rustic and light railway-ish!
I've built the new platform core and painted it brown, and my next lot of timber has arrived, so it's about time I had another go!
Cheers,
Mark
 

johnpolscoe

New Member
Hello
I've just come across this thread, and it's uncanny how it echoes my recent thoughts. Now I'm too old and decrepit for my lifelong main interest (archery) I should get something made rather than my previous occasional dabbling.
Like you I started with thoughts of a Ruyton-like fictional branch of the S&M, maybe to a wharf on the Montgomery canal, but then reflected that I find the landscape up there a bit flat and began wondering about Mr Rice's ideas of a line to Clun, or the Bringewood Chase one. Probably done as a Stephens line though.
I haven't got as far as your board, in fact haven't decided between P4 and EM, but I have acquired two kits ( as yet unbuilt) from ebay: an Impetus Manning I class and an Albion Terrier. Recently I have been trying to puzzle out the pipework on Terriers like S&M three, basically still A1 but with vacuum brake added.
I hope to get going once an impending house move is over, in the meantime I hope to see yours develop.
Oh, and may I support the suggestion of using lime for things like your platform, I used to do some ship modelling and it's a lovely wood to work and very inconspicuous grain.
 

2996 Victor

Western Thunderer
Hello
I've just come across this thread, and it's uncanny how it echoes my recent thoughts. Now I'm too old and decrepit for my lifelong main interest (archery) I should get something made rather than my previous occasional dabbling.
Like you I started with thoughts of a Ruyton-like fictional branch of the S&M, maybe to a wharf on the Montgomery canal, but then reflected that I find the landscape up there a bit flat and began wondering about Mr Rice's ideas of a line to Clun, or the Bringewood Chase one. Probably done as a Stephens line though.
I haven't got as far as your board, in fact haven't decided between P4 and EM, but I have acquired two kits ( as yet unbuilt) from ebay: an Impetus Manning I class and an Albion Terrier. Recently I have been trying to puzzle out the pipework on Terriers like S&M three, basically still A1 but with vacuum brake added.
I hope to get going once an impending house move is over, in the meantime I hope to see yours develop.
Oh, and may I support the suggestion of using lime for things like your platform, I used to do some ship modelling and it's a lovely wood to work and very inconspicuous grain.
Hi John,
many thanks for your post and many apologies for not having responded sooner! I'm afraid I've been doing aeroplaney things over on Britmodeller since early December, and railey things have taken a back seat. That and me having a wobble about track gauges and the finite nature of life on planet Earth. Sorry if that sounds a bit heavy, it isn't really: I've just concluded that I haven't got enough time to model everything I want to do to the standards I'd like, and that some compromises are going to be needed.
Hence, I'm going with PECO's new Code 75 bullhead OO track. It looks pretty darned good and with a bit of careful laying and ballasting/weathering, it should be good enough for what I want to do. Plus it means I can get trains running without first having to build loco chassis.
Anyway, that's where I am with Great Bunbury - I've been waiting to get hold of some medium radius points and then I'll be tracklaying and testing. And in the meantime I'm knee-deep in aircraft models!
All the best,
Mark
 

michael mott

Western Thunderer
Hi David Lime is similar to Basswood which is often used for beehive frames. I have cut basswood quite thin .005" is quite thin for this wood you would be better off using yellow Cedar or castelo boxwood for cutting fine strips Yellow Cedar is a very fine grained softwood that i have used for a variety of modelwork, the castelo is an almost grain-less hardwood that I used here for frames it is one of the preffered woods used by the model ship builders. and is quite stable.

Michael
 

Oban27

Active Member
Hi Mark
I have never seen Lime timber can it be cut or thinned down into thin strips to around .005” thickness without breaking or splintering?
David.
Hi,
lime wood, and other types of wood, is available from suppliers such as Cornwall Model Boats. They are used to make model boat hulls, decks etc. I've used it, in various sizes, to make sleepers in N and EM, building parts and wooden wagon bodies. No affiliation, just a satisfied customer, their service is very good.

Roja
 

2996 Victor

Western Thunderer
Hi Mark
I have never seen Lime timber can it be cut or thinned down into thin strips to around .005” thickness without breaking or splintering?
David.
Hi David,

apologies for not having replies sooner. I see that Michael has suggested a couple of alternatives. To be quite honest, I don't know a great deal about the properties of woods: of the lime strip I have, the thinnest is 0.5mm, which is quite flexible: I would be extremely surprised if any wood could be cut to .005" but I'm happy to be corrected!

I've bought most of my strip wood from Cornwall Model Boats - as Roja has said, customer service is very good and they're quite to dispatch. I've also no ties other than as a satisfied customer. I've also bought various width and thickness strips for use as sleepering.

Hi David Lime is similar to Basswood which is often used for beehive frames. I have cut basswood quite thin .005" is quite thin for this wood you would be better off using yellow Cedar or castelo boxwood for cutting fine strips Yellow Cedar is a very fine grained softwood that i have used for a variety of modelwork, the castelo is an almost grain-less hardwood that I used here for frames it is one of the preffered woods used by the model ship builders. and is quite stable.

Michael
Thanks, Michael!

Hi,
lime wood, and other types of wood, is available from suppliers such as Cornwall Model Boats. They are used to make model boat hulls, decks etc. I've used it, in various sizes, to make sleepers in N and EM, building parts and wooden wagon bodies. No affiliation, just a satisfied customer, their service is very good.

Roja
Thanks, Roja, me too. CMB are very helpful and quick with orders.

All the best,
Mark
 

2996 Victor

Western Thunderer
Crikey, has it really been so long?

Alas for poor old Great Bunbury and Newton Lane, too, much of the intervening period has been spent languishing, unloved, in the garage. My enthusiasm took an absolute nosedive not long after my last post, and no further railed progress has been made. In fact, there was a major cull of all things railway-related, and most of the part-built structures went in the dustbin - the only survivor was the shell of the pub from Newton Lane.

While an impending house move has given me cause to reflect on my many and varied projects, both winged and wheeled, and there will be no tangible progress yet, Great Bunbury is looking set to see a revival of its fortunes. The basic premise remains the same but I may strip the baseboard back and start from Square One. Track will still be PECO Code 75 Bullhead OO gauge, and I daresay the actual track layout will be much the same as before.

Cheers for now!

Mark
 

MarkR

Western Thunderer
I to have an interest in wings and wheels, and floating things, which means any project takes a very long time to make any progress at all, but thinking, researching and planning is half the fun!
Mark
 

2996 Victor

Western Thunderer
I to have an interest in wings and wheels, and floating things, which means any project takes a very long time to make any progress at all, but thinking, researching and planning is half the fun!
Mark
Absolutely! My trouble is that I become mired by over thinking things, added to which I'm easily distrac......squirrel! But seriously, I do enjoy the research aspect :)

Cheers,
Mark
 

2996 Victor

Western Thunderer
I chanced upon the Oak Hill Works this afternoon: their Fletcher Jennings J Class looks very suitable for a minor light railway.....their other kits look rather interesting, too!
 
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