LarryG's loco & coach WB (4mm/00)

[LarryG]

In 2018 a friend bought me a Rails/Rapido Dynamometer Car. It's a nice enough model but it was devoid of lining, something the real thing carried right through LNER days until BR got its hand on it. Therefore, the model was inaccurate, a fact that was widely known to railway historians, modellers and others, but not to a certain forum of "experts" who concluded the lining was a trick of the light!

I avoid any kind of lining out as much as possible nowadays due to migraine or dizziness, but it had been carried out in half an hour. My interest in the few 4mm models I retained for display after changing to 7mm has diminished to zero, so I wanted to return the Dynamometer Car to my friend and add a bit to it to make the model accurate for the post-war 1940's....

 

[Darren Gaffney]

All
I have tried Spraywell Dudley in terms of sourcing cellulose colours and the chap there is either very busy, or not even vaguely interested in my enquiry (I was looking to buy a suite of LMS colours and in reasonable quantities I would have thought, so it was a substantial enough order).

My dilemma is that I don't know the RAL colours so it is difficult to ask elsewhere. I have found an obliging company in Northern Ireland that are competitively priced (and much more straightforward from a shipping or collection perspective) - so to avoid having to send colour matching panels, can anyone here provide RAL colours for the following:

1) LMS crimson
2) Midland Railway Red
3) LMS Freight Grey (2 litres)
4) LMS Freight Bauxite (2 litres)
5) LMS Roof Grey

All help gratefully accepted
Darren

 

[LarryG]

Looks like it was last February since I last built a coach. This LNWR 57' corridor third is on my workbench at the mo. Adrian at Northstar Design has borrowed my LNWR books so please don't ask me the diagram number....

 

[LarryG]

Fitted with 9' bulbiron bogies and ready for the sprayshop .....

 

[paulc]

Very nice Larry , finished in spilt milk & plum ? On another forum my tag is LNWR51 so hence the enquiry.
Cheers Paul

 

[iak63]

Gorgeous as ever Larry.

 

[LarryG]

Preparing things for a new coach. The etchings were obtained from either Dave Gillott at 'Coaches & Castings' or Errol Surmann at the old 247 Models some 18 years ago. Most LNWR Cove Roof day coaches were scrapped in the 1940's and early 1950's because they were 40 years old. I had intended building this coach as a non-driving trailer push-pull coach. The only difference externally were the ends, but this will be a normal corridor third. Sawing off a short length of cove roof. I purchased several yards of the extrusion off Wheeltappers' years ago...



Cast ends came from Errol Surman at 247, but the etchings are mine including the badly tarnished floor ...

 

[LarryG]

My enthusiasm for old whitemetal castings is nil and already two steps had broken off through being unsupported with a fillet. I lost one drill while slotting the casting for brass steps...



Next the bufferbeams were removed so that I could tack the ends on top of the brass floor.....


The cove roof was temporaily Evostuck in place so that I could accurately position the sides before soldering them to the floor....


Sides were soldered to the ends with low-melt solder....


The completed 'box' with solebars, stepboards and brass bufferbeams. Roof plonked in place for photos...

 

[LarryG]

LNWR 9' Deepframe bogies castings assembled around my brass top plates, so it's ready for the sprayshop. I'm on a short week due to appointments and so I am glad this mix & match coach is now out of the way.....

 

[LarryG]

I was still into whitemetal castings in 2002 at the time I made the LNWR bogie patterns and it shows! Bent tie-rods were the curse of cast bogies and so when LMS bogies were produced in 2008, I had separate tie-rods etched on 22thou brass. These were soldered to the LNWR bogies this morning. They are actually flat section, twisted to face end-on to resemble rod, and so are particularly strong....

 

[Dave Holt]

Does look a lot better, Larry.
Dave.

 

[LarryG]

My LNWR reference books have been out on loan for much of this year and so this LNWR D264 cove roof corridor third project has ground to a halt until I learn of a post-1933 running number.

 

[LarryG]

Sorted at last so photos were taken as dusk fell....


The coach was sprayed LMS lake, which many retained into BR days without ever being repainted. All BR did was add an 'M' prefix to the number. After 1952 a suffix was added...


A comparison of early and late LNWR panelling, roofs and bogies. The nearer coach represents an early BR repaint. In fact it shows the difference between the crimson lake I obtained from Derby Works in the early 1970's and Halfords Rover Damask Red, a colour popularly used by modellers wanting LMS crimson lake! This photo was taken using flash....

 

[john lewsey]

Very nice Larry

 

[LarryG]

A simple job or so I thought............Remove glazing and spray over the muddy brownish-maroon with something I can live with. But I tore a hole in the body and will have to fit Comet etched brass sides now. There's a reason for posting this. I'm finding it hard getting back into building coaches even for myself now I'm retired, so if I go public with this coach, I will jolly well have to finish it ....

 

[LarryG]

My usual practice is to solder a strip of brass at right-angles along the top of the both coach sides to strength them and provide a good surface area for Evostik...



Plastic sides were completely removed and the ends filed down 12 thou to take etched sides. Photo below shows completed body plonked on chassis. Sprayshop tomorrow....

 

[Peter Little]

Great workmanship Larry, hope this is not true I'm finding it hard getting back into building coaches even for myself now I'm retired"

Regards

Peter

 

[LarryG]

Great workmanship Larry, hope this is not true I'm finding it hard getting back into building coaches even for myself now I'm retired"

Regards

Peter

This Hawksworth coach has done the trick so I'll build a few coaches for the new layout now. Ceasing trading a year or so ago was a huge weight off my shoulders.

 

[Peter Little]

Good to hear as I really enjoy your work and posts on here. I am modelling an end to end layout of Bala Junction so most of what you are building has some interest to me apart from the LNER kit.
This reminds me I am trying to find an image that is clear / readable showing the island platform waiting area building which obviously had some facilities in it, most images are unclear and I will try and scratch build if I can get any details on it. The water tower, signal box and main platform waiting pagoda hut are all available as kits.....

Regards

Peter

 

[Peter Little]

Thanks for that Larry more modelling to look forward to then. Quite a variety of units went through there in its last decade so variety was certainly the menu of the day.

Regards

Peter