4mm Llanfair

Reader mode
LarryG

LarryG

Western Thunderer
Spent a day and a half converting this EFE Leyland TD1 from a glossy lined out model into a something that resembled a clapped-out second hand purchase from the late 1940's.

Dismantling was easy using a tough screwdriver between the lower and upper deck sections, then the interior simply fell out. The bus shell was washed with Ajax powder, then two of the original cream bands were masked. All my cellulose railway colours were disposed of years ago, but I had to hand a Howes spraycan of LNER green that was used to spray Llanfair's outdoor scenery!

I'd never make a Chinese assembler! There was a sequence to re-assembly that only EFE knew about. The penny began to drop in stages until eventally I hit the jackpot. Seat units go in first, but the glazing would only stay put with the aid of Loctite...

Ex. Ribble Leyland TD1 standing at Llanfair looking as forlorn as most of these 1929-30 buses did by the end of the 1940's...

WEB Llanfair26 7Y.jpg
 
C

cctransuk

Western Thunderer
LarryG said:
Then he looked in admiration at the church and considered his good fortune in securing this post. In an hours time, the sun would have dipped and he would back back home listening to music on the North Home Service...
View attachment 268499
Click to expand...

At first, I thought that I detected a wrinkle in the backscene - between the tree and the barn.

How foolish of me - it is quite clearly the slight hollow, worn by several generations of feet, of the footpath from the village to the station / bus terminus.

Absolutely exquisite! If only I could find a fellow modeller, with your scenic talents, to invoke a 'sense of place' to my extended, non-scenic test-track. I cannot find the motivation to undertake what I perceive as a chore - compared to building ever more stock!

John Isherwood.
 
Yorkshire Dave

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
LarryG said:
Spent a day and a half converting this EFE Leyland TD1 from a glossy lined out model into a something that resembled a clapped-out second hand purchase from the late 1940's.

Dismantling was easy using a tough screwdriver between the lower and upper deck sections, then the interior simply fell out. The bus shell was washed with Ajax powder, then two of the original cream bands were masked. All my cellulose railway colours were disposed of years ago, but I had to hand a Howes spraycan of LNER green that was used to spray Llanfair's outdoor scenery!

I'd never make a Chinese assembler! There was a sequence to re-assembly that only EFE knew about. The penny began to drop in stages until eventally I hit the jackpot. Seat units go in first, but the glazing would only stay put with the aid of Loctite...

Ex. Ribble Leyland TD1 standing at Llanfair looking as forlorn as most of these 1929-30 buses did by the end of the 1940's...

WEB Llanfair26 7Y.jpg
Click to expand...

Yes, the EFE (and Corgi) have a knack to disassembly and reassembly as I've done a few myself - more of the later 1960s and 1970s buses in NBC liveries.

The upper deck glazing usually holds itself in once the front, rear and sides are installed. In most cases the front and rear go in first followed by the sides as it's these which generally lock the glazing - then followed by the upper deck seating. The bottom deck seats go in first followed by the glazing. I tend to use drops of canopy glue (or PVA) to hold any glazing and I also use this to bond the upper and lower decks which is enough to hold the while being handled for placement. And it allows for easy disassembly in the future should I wish to add extra details.

Single deck buses vary as either the body and roof are one mould with a separate chassis or as with the Leyland Nationals the body and roof are separate moulds.

LarryG said:
In the mid 1950's, Llanfair's local bus company was running this pre-war Leyland TS8 bought second-hand from a Lancashire operator. I seem to recall the EFE model started out as a post-war Leyland PS1. I reshaped the front wings to pre-war styling and fitted one of my own whitemetal radiator castings...



WEB Llanfair26 4L.jpg
Click to expand...

As and when you get around to add details to the station forecourt I suggest a cast iron bus stop flag similar to one of these top post mounted versions and a timetable case (obviously not Eastern Counties). I did have a look at buses in the locale and one of the main Tilling Group operators was Crossville together with a number of private operators.

Cast iron bus stop flag.jpg

ECOC timetable case.jpg
 
LarryG

LarryG

Western Thunderer
There's a nice comfy office chair on castors in the shed now. Should have put it there years ago. Experimenting with tension-lock uncoupling ramps at the mo. I worked on getting all the wagon couplings to the same height some time ago, but the Hornby coaches are proving a trouble. They're so free-running that they leg it out of the station as soon as the loco uncouples. Easily sorted of course.

Also problems with the runround loop, but it'll do for now.
 
paulc

paulc

Western Thunderer
LarryG said:
There's a nice comfy office chair on castors in the shed now. Should have put it there years ago. Experimenting with tension-lock uncoupling ramps at the mo. I worked on getting all the wagon couplings to the same height some time ago, but the Hornby coaches are proving a trouble. They're so free-running that they leg it out of the station as soon as the loco uncouples. Easily sorted of course.

Also problems with the runround loop, but it'll do for now.
Click to expand...
Slip coaches ???
Someone would have said it so it may as well be me .
 
LarryG

LarryG

Western Thunderer
After all these years, I have come to the conclusion that :-

1) Instead of building a layout, I should have laid a small runround loop with short 'legs'.
2) Established whether I was going to adopt DCC and then properly familiarised myself with altering the CV's.
3) Only purchase the newer locos which operate smoothly on DC.
4) Never buy secondhand, which usually means buying someones crap which is why its for sale!
6) Avoid eBay, even that run by the big operators!
5) Establish ones favoured coupling system, fit uncouplers and get coupling & uncoupling working perfectly.
6) After that, extend the layout bit-by-bit in the confident knowledge that everything will work!

A s/h Hornby loco arrived today from a well-known company. It took a lot of power to get it moving and ran slow-fast-slow like it had a sticking point. Connecting rods were removed as the stiffness was caused by the crossheads & slidebars. The cheapo DCC chip was replaced with a blanking plate followed by reassembly (with great difficulty). Runs reasonable now, but nothing like my new dapol locos.

I bought a small tin of cellulose "strong" yellow on the net some weeks ago and used some of it today to mix a 'rusty rails' shade to match Precision Paints enamel. The celly is as weak as dish water; yet another internet con. The net, being global, surmounts all the efforts put into establishing 'BrItish Standards' and so now we are ripped off mercilessly. Even my so-called tie-chord pijamas have an elasticated waist! Wtf?

Apart from that, there's not a lot to show. Just noticed the missing smokbox dart. It was in the packaging but I'll be fitting a brass one...
WEB Llanfair26 8F.jpg
 
LarryG

LarryG

Western Thunderer
I simply rearranged the points (with a double-slip) to make a separate headshunt instead of shunting on the running line. The key to this remodelling was the availability bullhead track at Rhuddlan Models and so I didnt have to buy more lengths than I had use for. Vinyl grass has been so useful, as the embankment was easily cut back to release land for the headshunt and water tank and then patched up with 2mm and 4mm static grass...
WEB Llanfair26 8GG.jpg
 
LarryG

LarryG

Western Thunderer
The new recruit now ready for action. Comet models smokebox dart, tension lock coupling and new injector pipes added today. It's been run-in and runs smoothly enough now for fitting a DCC chip.

The Shrewsbury-Welshpool section was built jointly by the GWR & LNWR and so was my fictional standard gauge branch to Llanfair. :)

In the real world, LMS Fowler 2-6-4T's ran to Welshpool and their axle loadings were quite close to the Grange's. In fact, the weight on a 2-6-4T's bogie was far more than on a Grange's bogie...

WEB Llanfair26 8GGG.jpg
 
Reader mode
You must log in or register to reply here.
What's New?
Top