The Norwich & Mucklemouth Railway - Eastern Eccentricity in EM

Herb Garden

Western Thunderer
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Well the headlines are.... It runs!

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Yes also almost all the detailing is done!

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Not bad for working full time given it's been under 2 months work to get to this stage.

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Hopefully a couple more bits applied to the chassis and a mod to the cab roof and it will be ready for painting.... I'm hoping to be able to bring it along to Expo EM on Saturday for a spin (crawl) around the test track.
 

Bob Essex

Western Thunderer
I do hope once it's painted and finished it will be properly coaled. :) The few pictures I've seen suggest you'll need to cover most of the body from the cab to at least the dome if not the tank fillers and up to the height of them ...........

Bob
 

Herb Garden

Western Thunderer
I do hope once it's painted and finished it will be properly coaled. :) The few pictures I've seen suggest you'll need to cover most of the body from the cab to at least the dome if not the tank fillers and up to the height of them ...........

Bob
Certainly, I like my locos to have that lived in feel

After all they were people's places of work....

Although focus this morning has been on tidying up the ballast on Skeetsmere it's given me the opportunity to pose 227 with fellow shunter 407

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407 captures that well used lived in look that I'm going for. Yard pilot lamp shunters pole across the buffers and a random bucket on the footplate etc etc. the details I use are from Modelu and RT models.

Both locos along with 151 and one other will be part of the Skeetsmere fleet for this autumn's exhibitions.
 

James Spooner

Western Thunderer
Back home, my contribution to Skeetsmere is making progress. Two elevations are now clad in English bond brickwork and have the window coping bricks scribed and added. I’m now practising making sash windows from plastruct. The first one is progressing, only another four to make if that one works!

Nigel


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Herb Garden

Western Thunderer
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With the completion of the B74 the mill has now landed.on the workbench and a roof is being added.

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While that is been happening out friend 227 has been sneaking off with a couple of her troublesome trucks for a day out to EXPO EM summer. She spent a long time on the test track and crawled round for a couple of circuits quite happily.

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Thanks to everyone for your kind comments, they mean a lot.
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It was a great show and I thoroughly enjoyed it, first time I've been and I would definitely go again.
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She also made her way onto one of the demonstration stands as well. I probably better get her painted sometime soon.

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In other news things are entering the paint stripper but I will let @Liver & Fry explain in due course
 

Lyndhurstman

Western Thunderer
I do hope once it's painted and finished it will be properly coaled. :) The few pictures I've seen suggest you'll need to cover most of the body from the cab to at least the dome if not the tank fillers and up to the height of them ...........

Bob
Hi @Bob Essex
I think (I could be wrong) that the ‘chuck it on top of the firebox’ version was a result of the window bars being fitted on the fireman’s side of the footplate; the opening for the coal bunker sits underneath it. I daresay this mod came about (I know not when) as a result of the constant need to change window glass (these things do beg the question if it was ever coaled by the Stratford coal plant!). Here’s my attempt at replication…

Cheers

Jan
 

Bob Essex

Western Thunderer
My suggestion was of course made in jest, but when you look at the photos of it like that it does beg the question as to how much fell off as when it engaged in rough shunting ...... but I guess given the size of Stratford works etc. poping back for a top-up was done as infrequently as possible.

The model looks brilliant and it must be a sight to see the motion whirring away when moving.

Bob
 

James Spooner

Western Thunderer
I’ve had a bit of a break (another one I might hear you say?) from modelling to travel to different parts of the country for more family events; Norwich for my granddaughter’s birthday and Oxford for a son’s graduation. Back to the workbench this afternoon and I have tidied up the window frames on the front elevation, including scribing the brickwork on the reveals, then started on the sash windows there. Only one more left to make (the centre top window will be bricked up)…

Nigel


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Liver & Fry

Western Thunderer
Time to join the Skeetsmere party, I guess!

I've been asked if I can lend a hand by building a pair of cattle vans prior to Skeetsmere's outings later this year.

We've known each other for many years (16, we think?), but being his junior means I have always been a few steps behind in my modelling journey, and thus skill level. For this reason, I am flattered to have been asked and so will endeavour to do my best in carrying out the task ahead!

The cattle vans in question are a pair of D&S whitemetal kits representing GER Dia.71. 300 of these were built between 1910 and 1916, and are one of the final evolutions of the GER 'Large Cattle Wagon' lineage.

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Work so far has simply consisted of familiarisation and tidying up of components, but naturally I will keep you updated as progress is made.

- James
 

Herb Garden

Western Thunderer
So all go on Skeetsmere....

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The main mill building is getting there. Roof just needs mortar flashing added. Most of the trim is done and the windows have been started.

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I imagine it will be a very hot working environment so I'm trying to model a lot of the windows open.

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That's them all done this morning and now I'm very sick of windows....

In other news a weekend spent touring some of the best layouts in the country with @Godders53 @James Spooner and @Liver & Fry has allowed the B74 to get some much needed running in and testing.

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Thanks to Sandra 227 was invited to complete a full circuit of the Retford hauling a substantial goods train. It took ages but it succeeded. It was noticed that the drain cocks on one cylinder are hanging down quite a lot so clash with some complex pointwork but it coped with going across the crossing.

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I was also invited to try it out on Black Lion Crossing. And I wasn't going to say no was I?

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A final visit was to Little Bytham. Where when there were not a wonderful selection of ECML trains whooshing past we took the opportunity to pose the B74 with fellow 52F models locomotive @James Spooner G5 from the Elmham market thread
 

Lyndhurstman

Western Thunderer
My suggestion was of course made in jest, but when you look at the photos of it like that it does beg the question as to how much fell off as when it engaged in rough shunting ...... but I guess given the size of Stratford works etc. poping back for a top-up was done as infrequently as possible.

The model looks brilliant and it must be a sight to see the motion whirring away when moving.

Bob
At Devonshire Street they served a coal yard (and had their cabs cut down specifically for this task, so they could get under the viaduct), so I’m guessing fuel was no issue. More concerning was their apparent dislike for cylinder drain cocks (occasioned by their short wheelbase and species habitat).

Cheers

Jan
 

Liver & Fry

Western Thunderer
All being well, the cattle van bodies are now formed up.

I started by fitting an end and a side together yesterday (four times over) and then marrying the respective halves up this evening:

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Araldite was the chosen adhesive and the bands are just to ensure they hold together overnight.

Ive had to balance them on paint tins owing to the v-hangers preventing me from setting them down on the workbench.

Next job will be the floor sections...

- James
 
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