4mm Llanfair ....

[LarryG]

I do think B&C is an underrated and little seen livery on layouts. I understand it didn't work well on the really thing (dirt and fading) but hey still looks good on your models Larry.

I'm not sure if it was a case of blood & custard not working well, or if it was overtaken by events in 1956 wen the regions were given more autonomy over their affairs. As expected, the Southern Region adopted green, which was a mostly green region anyway becasue of its re-varnishing malachite stock. The London Midland adopted the old LMS "maroon", as did the Eastern and the the Western ~ except for a flirtation with brown & cream.

Blood & custard actually had a long life on three of the regions. I recall run-down looking Gresleys on Sunday Manchester Exchange to Abergele Sanatorium trains around 1960, LMS 2-window open stock on Bangor-Afon Wen trains around 1962 and GWR sunshine coaches on the Cambrian in 1963.

 

[LarryG]

A coach often seen on railway videos is the GWR D121 corridor brake third, easily identified by it's high and low waist windows. As an experiment, the baffle plates were added to the sliding windows and they have worked out well as seen here...

 

[Dave Holt]

How did you do the window baffle plates, Larry?
Dave.

 

[LarryG]

I cut strips of plastikard 10thou square and use pieces for hinges, destination board brackets and the sliding window baffles. Attached with Loctite Ehthyl-2-Cyanoasrylate, they won't budge afterwards.

 

[LarryG]

The final non-corridor coach has been completed. A composite coach was required and I made use of a Hornby bow-end Diagram E131 coach obtained at a good price off Ebay (Gee Dee Models). Repainting it in Rosso Red was straightforward enough as was the weathering...

 

[LarryG]

The GWR D121 corridor brake third completed two days ago had the lower edge of the deep corridor windows on a slightly lower waist line than the D124 which followed, and this is clearly seen by the increased depth of cream above the windows when compared with the D124...



The D124 had a slightly higher waistline. This coach was completed today....


Baffles were fitted to the sliding vents as previously and also on the lavatory window. This coach is more heavily weathered than the D121...

 

[LarryG]

Further to the above, This picture of a D121 clearly shows the lower waistline than on the two adjacent coaches. The bottom edge of the windows was roughly 2ft 8ins, give or take a few fractions, on most coaches built after the D121's.

The middle coach also shows the lower roof profile of Collett's 'yellow disc' stock which was acceptable widely across the country on other railways lines...

 

[LarryG]

GWR D121 and D124 on the layout showing the different waists....


The GWR E147 B-set has been back-engineered into carmine. Lined maroon didn't do it for me even though I dont mind it on corridor stock...


Photographed this morning on the layout with sunlight (apparently) streaming across the hillside...

 

[LarryG]

Latest addition is the GWR C70 corridor third, which introduced the low waist and deep windows. The coach sides are barely weathered this time, but the chassis has gone the usual colour and the grey roof is no longer pristine...


Both sides were identical except for lack of lavatory windows and is almost LMS in appearance...

 

[LarryG]

The C77 corridor third is now completed. The Bachmann bogies look a bit clunky under this coach...


Something I have never come across before is bleaching of the track paint....

 

[LarryG]

The last of the brass coaches built during 2021 was completed today although painted yesterday. This C81 corridor third introduced more changes to windows. Of note is the compartment with an external door. The design was continued on a longer underframe after the war under Hawksworth...


No wonder they were christened 'Sunshine Coaches' with all that glass. To my eyes, there wasn't much structural strength on this side. The droplights were etched into the Comet sides, something I much prefer as they make for more secure glazing.....


I consider these late 1930's coaches epitomise the Western Region in the mid to late 1950s and i will consider building a few more at the end of the summer...

 

[Nick Rogers]

As always, beautiful work, Larry. Are the pair running on Hornby bogies?

Kind regards,

Nick.

 

[LarryG]

As always, beautiful work, Larry. Are the pair running on Hornby bogies?

Kind regards,

Nick.

Thanks Nick, This pair are running on Bachmann bogies. They look a bit clunky on some coaches and not others. The coach furthest away in the above picture (Dia. C77) might get a pair of Hornby bogies seeing as I am scrapping a Hornby Hawksworth.

 

[Nick Rogers]

Thanks Nick, This pair are running on Bachmann bogies. They look a bit clunky on some coaches and not others. The coach furthest away in the above picture (Dia. C77) might get a pair of Hornby bogies seeing as I am scrapping a Hornby Hawksworth.

Thanks, Larry.

As you have said before, it is such a shame that Hornby doesn't offer the 9' pressed steel bogies as a 'spare': I think they would sell very well.

All the best,

Nick.

 

[LarryG]

I got carried away with BR lined maroon in 2021 and finished too many in this livery. So this model of an LMS D1751 corridor composite has had its BR lined maroon replaced with carmine & cream. It looks much better to me, but this is probably because I saw so many real coaches of this kind in sidings awaiting the call of summer holiday traffic...

 

[LarryG]

This D1916/1946 open brake 3rd coach was the final repaint into carmine & cream. The remaining coaches will stay in BR maroon.

The current coaching stock position is as follows:-
12) in BR carmine & cream
5) in BR lined maroon
8) in plain carmine red

A new gangway connector has since been fitted. This plastic one had curled up...


Close up of the open lavatory window

 

[paulc]

I have deleted my reference to the goods shed being at the back of the layout. It didn't work! Everything is back together in the yard apart from cattle. Livestock was often loaded on a short stub off the running line so it could be readily attached to a passing cattle train, so that remains.

The goods shed no longer blocks the view of passenger trains in the station. Track renewal is minimal, the aim being to work with the present track layout as much as possible. All I can show is a photoshopped image of the intended new arrangements...
View attachment 155721

Hi Larry , i quite liked the goods shed at the rear as it broke up the view of the backscene but you are there so can see the layout from all different angles , also its your layout so rule one applys .
Beautiful work on the coaches . I have just sprayed the plum on four LNWR coaches and heeded your avice to someone else about a brown being applied before the actual colour . They can sit now for week then mask them off and apply the white ish colour then the lining . My fingernails are bitten off just thinking about doing that but in for a penny etc .
Cheers Paul

 

[LarryG]

Hi Paul. I sprayed my cellulose 'plum' on top of red oxide primer. It covered well because the plum mix was LMS crimson lake plus black. It's a good while since I sprayed LNWR coaches, but I remember I sprayed the darker colour on first when doing Toplight coaches. Initially I added a hint of blue to the white until David Jenkinson told me one of the restored coaches at the NRM was turning greenish because of the yellowing affect of copal varnish.

I agree with you about the good shed. It did look neat there.

 

[LarryG]

A piece of timber was used to simulate a platform. The goods shed is now set back so the signalman has a clear view of the line. Track into the goods shed will need slewing over...


I have a feeling I'm getting there...

 

[LarryG]

I need space between the goods and and the backscene and so the signalman is going to have to lean out of his front windows while a porter holds his legs if he wants to see up the line ahead....!

I wouldn't go so far as saying I'm having sleepless nights over this, but a larger signal box is on order ~ just in case, and I might have to widen the shed 2 inches ~ only kidding! Sometimes we just have to go with the flow if we really want something, and bedamn to the consequences.