The Norwich & Mucklemouth Railway - Eastern Eccentricity in EM

[Herb Garden]

So all this talk of rapido GER opens makes my range of kits a bit obsolete. Or does it?


Well if you are looking for a quick fit then a Herb Garden GER Diagram 17 is not the way to go but as a kit I find them very satisfying to build.


The reason for the post is that I've just fitted the couplings to the prototype so after months of waiting, maybe that's years, it's now in operational service.


I've got five more of the prototype batch left to make and then will look at making these kits available to general consumption. But I doubt there will be many takers apart from me. However the artwork is nearly done for the diagram 16 and it's undigramed predecessor so watch this space. Also there's the option with this kit of adding some Extra parts and being able to build a couple of other tyres not covered by rapido.... All is not lost....

Also rule one of the GER goods train.... You don't ever have enough open wagons

 

[Herb Garden]

So here's the first of the wagons I completed the weekend just gone

A GER diagram 68 3 plank open with drop sides and drop ends. Made from the high quality D&S kit. Yep another kit I've devalued. But kits are for building not for hoarding


I'm one of those strange people who really enjoys white metal soldering so as you can imagine I really enjoyed building this one. It helps that the kit is rather well designed.

The 68s were converted from Diagram 18 drop side wagons to also have drop ends in 1917 to support the carrying of horse drawn wagons for military traffic so I'm looking for suggestions for an appropriate load. Something light though, I try and weight my wagon fleet so they are are all consistently around 40g, although white metal vans prove an interesting challenge, and this wagon was allready pretty much near the 40g mark when built.

The other challenge is that this size of wagon needs the medium size GE lettering .... Which isn't on the POW sides sheet.... So this one might have to be lettered by hand.... Oh what fun....

 

[Herb Garden]

Right,

Back from this week's trip to Aberdeen. What a lovely city. Was made to feel very welcome by all the locals so thank you!


Taking the train up there was a wonderful journey also.

So this is the second of the two wagons finished last weekend and the last before I move on to something a bit different


A D&S GER diagram 31 loco coal wagon (another devalued kit). Nothing special about this one it's just a good useful wagon. But a really nice kit to build

 

[Herb Garden]

I'm sorry to those reading the thread recently that there haven't been many pictures of actually doing stuff.

The crane tank will get built, I'm not sure how but it will given my early links with Bresingham Steam Museum that project will happen.

But meanwhile and with a link to Bresingham of a sort work has been going on on the T26 (E4)


The chassis has been rebuilt to EM gauge boiler filled in underneath and I've added the front wrap and a new front plate hath been fitted.

 

[Herb Garden]

In other news slow but steady progress on the T26. This Gibson kit is the best on the market for this prototype but it's a ruddy pain to build. Nowt fits properly and a fair bit of fettling is needed to progress it.


Front frames are now added to the footplate ready for that piano front casting to be inserted also started working on the cab floor.


Also for the fun of it the tender body has been started.

 

[Herb Garden]

So while that's all well and good there are another couple of sets of frames that need putting together. Hopefully these next few will be the last of the batch.


First up is a lovely little 0-4-0 from the branch lines stable. Once again the much loved poppy's jig taking centre stage.


And yes it's the redoubtable Hornby smoky Joe. This one from my little sister's trainset which came to me when one of us grew up and the other didn't.

The plan with this is to do the nesscecary cut and shut to make a mid Victorian industrial Nielson like the preserved 2203 Kelton Fell. I feel that would be more useful on the Victorian end of the layout than a Caledonian or North British machine.

Lovely kit the branch lines one. Like Thier other chassis I've built it just drops together. Progress so far only took me 90 mins or so

More photos of the prototype

 

[Herb Garden]

I feel like I'm on an episode of "I'm sorry I haven't a clue"

Welcome to the game of Name Those Coupling rods!

Yes I'm batch building again but these are and will be the last batch of coupling rods as at some point this binge will need to come to an end and layout building commence again.... But until then....


The next loco to get a new set of frames is a very old friend. This conversion of old triang Nellie mounted on the old Hornby terrier chassis was built for the first (peco code 75 00) incarnation of Skeetsmere in 2017 and was the most complex bit of modelling I could do at the time.


I'm very proud to say it featured in the May 2018 railway modeller. Sure it was a bit crude by many modelling standards but I'm still very fond of it to this day. Sadly a botched spray painting job and the OO finescale track of Skeetsmere 2 sidelined it for models with finer profile wheels.
Since the start of the pandemic and Skeetsmere 2 she has lain in a box of past projects. Until the chance finding of a set of comet terrier frames suggested a method to get her back on her wheels again.


I've decided to make of the terrier frames and some 3'8" wheels that I've had lying around. Although not the correct size for a terrier Nellie is a lot bigger machine and she benefits from a squat chassis to ensure she don't look too top heavy.


The terrier chassis is a pretty good fit helped by the fact the body was allready adapted to fit the RTR version. Well it's coming together nicely and it will be fantastic to have this old friend running again

 

[Herb Garden]

So since April I feel I've gone round the houses and I'm back where I started with the 204


The wheels are on!



It looks the business but there's a little too much side play in the front wheels at the moment but it's getting there.... If I don't get distracted and get some pickups on it it might run before too long

 

[Herb Garden]

So I think it's time I let you all into a little side project I've been working on.

I've been collaborating with Peter from 52F models to make one of the missing classes of later GER locomotives available in kit form.

The pug to put perform all pugs yep it's the Hill B74/B77 later known by the LNER as a Y4.


My role is this project is research and test building. And now the test parts have arrived! Marvelous!




The kit is etched on nickel silver and features a 3d printed boiler and fittings

We are also making sure that the kit covers all variations of the prototype. From the first GER example to the BR condition machines.

We expect that the kit will only be a limited run as we don't think the loco will have wide appeal so I will let the readers of this thread know when we are about to place orders for parts.

In the meantime you can email Peter to register no obligation interest to make sure you don't miss out on one: peter@52fmodels.org

I will be getting on with the test build of the body in due course but I thought I might wet your appetite.

 

[Herb Garden]

Right so I've been quiet recently been modelling through...

Skeetsmere is due to go to Expo EM summer so it's all hands on deck to get it moved on..... I even have a project plan!

March & April - fix the operational niggles
May & June - finish the scenery
July & August - complete the rest of the rolling stock.

Yeah I know not my most complex of plans but it's better than rushing everything at the last minute.... Unlike November...

So what's been going on?


The level crossing was something I wanted to get done before Workington and I failed to find the time.... So now I've started... The gates themselves started as the ratio occupational crossing....


Then with much modification I chopped them into the style of the ones on the MSLR.


The gates are to be driven from a mechanism under the baseboard these are the two posts soldered to the base plate.


On the other side the mounts to hold the retainer for the mechanics.


I'm using a peco turntable mechanism to drive the gates.



Underneath the gear there is a pin that engaged with forked prongs on the gate hinges. There is a name for this type of mechanism but I cant remember the name.
The gates loosely in position. Next I need to mount up this unit underneath the baseboard with all the wiring.
In other news a DCC fitted #84 is now on test on the layout.... We won't get started on the varying subject of GER blue.... Guess what both shades are accurate!


Also #253 has now gained rods and wheels!


#151 once again crosses the river Skeet. A dry track joint has come loose in this area meaning that this section of track is now dead.... Another niggle to sort eh?

 

[Herb Garden]

So we haven't talked much about the control panel on Skeetsmere.


That's cos it's pretty dull.


Having a sort out recently I came across the lever frame I built for the previous incarnation of Skeetsmere. At the time I must have put it aside thinking it's 7 levers were not enough for a future project.


So in bout of foolish enthusiasm I thought it would be a good idea to extend the existing frame with half the parts from another MSE kit to make a 10 lever frame.

The splice isn't perfect but hopefully won't be too noticeable after the base is painted.... Or at least that's what I'm hoping.


Hopefully it will be a simple build from here.... Knowing my luck hover I'm not going to hold my breath

 

[Herb Garden]

So with the lever frame waiting on a solution to the mixed size levers and the level crossing waiting on a replacement motor (yes it did burn out) I've had to turn my attention to other things.

I have to admit that my main modelling interest has split between the very early period of the GER up to the late 1870s and the modern image 1900s stuff. So it's nice to do a project that scratches both those itches.

Skeetsmere needs coaching stock. Although those with long memories will recall I did start building some GER 4w coaches of the 2B, 3A & 3B variety a bit of assessment of stock for the layout suggested that these. Although appropriate for a Sunday passenger service did not lend themselves easily to the weekly mixed trains (all of them are quite long and single classes).


The only (nearly operational) passenger stock vehicle on Skeetsmere at the moment is the model of #16 the Wisbech and Upwell tramway brake (the MSLR had a similar vehicle) built by @2mmEditor

This vehicle is of the older Johnson 2A profile and shorter in length which has given me the idea to build up some of these coaches to provide stock for Skeetsmere and beyond.
Hanging around I have a set of etched sides for the three GER 2A coaches that ended up on the Kent and East Sussex
Last year I built a GER bread van using etched sides on a Hornby 4w body and thought it might be worth trying that again. Here is the composite coach from the set of 3 coming together



Although the Hornby full brake requires some surgery!

 

[Herb Garden]

Theres lots of tidying up of wiring going on here at the moment but it doesn't make good post content.... So how about something completely different....

Folks outside the hobby find it strange that we would purchase an expensive locomotive then cut it up or take it to bits. But having been inspired by the work of my friend @Godders53 I've taken this cut and shut modelling style to heart and found it very rewarding. You saw what I did to the coaches didn't you?

Well here is another destructive project ....


I bought three Accurascale buckjumpers, the first you have allready seen and is nearly in service in as produced in GER blue. This one and another were bought to be painted into GER condition but after fitting it with EM wheels I thought it might be nice to do something a bit more creative with it.


Accurascale have produced many of the varieties of these locos but not all by a long shot. Given a full repaint was in order anyway some modifications to get something truly unique was not going to impact much. A bit like the rtr conversions George Dent did in model rail magazine in the Noughties... Before it got too commercialised.

This is the prototype then R24R (later LNER J69) number 382 like all the conversions from the original R24s it has widened tanks but these have the flare on to hide the condensing apparatus.


The new tank sides started as a spare moulding from a friend at Accurascale.


Soon reduced to a new set of sides


To get everything the right width I had to cut back the original tank side of the loco.... Not for the faint hearted.


But with prayers uttered... Perfectly feasible


And glued in place although I'm pretty sure I've now voided the warranty!