errrr…what?!

On my recent visit to site (aka Rhyd Ddu station), I inspected the changes that had been written but not really shown in pictures on the various WHR websites.

There has been a major change to the ‘bus turning area’ as shown below:

Firstly though the tamper shed is gone (!) and a new tarmac path has been created out of the NP car park…

This leads to a newly tarmaced bus lay-by…

and a newly erected shelter is prominent…

the path continues up towards the water tower and through a small gate…

and then across a new foot crossing and onto the platform.

This is a MAJOR change. 

Here a shot of Rhyd Ddu for comparison – you can see the white van parked on what was rough ground… This would need a new tarmac surafce, kerbs, the extra foot crossing, more gates, the shelter etc. adding and of course I’d have to leave the tamper shed out too.

Thus it has been decided to freeze the layout at 2010.  Now I might bend this somewhat to allow for other locos and stock to appear (e.g. the other NGG16 kit I have in stock) but this is generally the rule – 2010 it is. 

A hairy moment

Yesterday further progress was made on the extension. The modroc was painted brown and once dry covered in thick PVA and clumps of hairy underlay were added. Once dry they will be trimmed back and then painted with the usual LNER Doncaster green. A couple of random rocks were added from my box of spare pieces, these will be coloured too of course.

The hidden sidings board has also been cleared of track, rubbed down, bleached and now painted black to protect it from the damp induced mould it suffered this winter.

Lady in red…

Well here are the promised pictures of our ‘Lady in red’ aka WHR Beyer-Garratt NGG16 No. 138.

A few pointers to areas that have been changed from the kit to make the loco less SAR more WHR:

- Addition of custom plates courtesy of narrow planet
- Sun visors on side of cab left off, roof opening altered completely to create one larger opening rather than two smaller ones with curved covers
- Addition of extra detail to cab including gauges and all windows glazed
- Completely different arrangement of boiler fittings including safety valves on a small plinth.  There remains some additional small bore pipework to add. 
- Major changes to pipework runs and addition of extra ejector on firebox wrapper
- Steam pipe covers on smokebox sides and D handles
- WHR pattern lights on tank/bunker ends and sand fill level indicators
- Oil tank in bunker with vent, the top of which was made from a wheel bearing!
- Differences in cut outs of bunker/tank bottoms
- Washout plugs added to boiler in correct positions (markits)
- Mudhole door covers added using small LEDs (yes really) poked into holes and painted over – the little domes of the LEDs are the perfect size
- Differences to handrails including bend in driver’s side cab side handle
- Extra tank side rivets created with small wire poked into small holes.  The kit has a SAR pattern rivetted version of the tank/bunker and all those rivets were filed off to represent the welded tanks. 
- Markits wakefield lubricators (heavily modified) added to the running plates (not shown below), vac pipes different pattern to standard SAR.
- Silver boiler bands were applied using 1mm strips of 'bare-metal' wafer thin self adhesive foil.  This is made in the USA and is commonly used by car and truck modellers - www.bare-metal.com 

and the beast has been finished with etching primer, then 2 coats of Railmatch EARLY BR(M) crimson lake, lined in straw (acrylic) using a bowpen and size 0 sable brush, Floquil 'engine black' added to corners and tank backs etc.  Finally, 2 coats of Precision Paints Satin Varnish was applied to boiler/firebox and cab only. Smokebox area painted with Humbrol 'gunmetal' enamel and left unvarnished.

 

      

New leader

Following my trip on the final bit of the WHR recently, I have updated my table of NG railway ratings and, by 1 point, there is a new leader (mainly as the line gains a cafe (at harbour) that it had not before). 

Note: for those unfamiliar with this system my ratings take into account 17 factors from locos in steam and timetables through the year, parking, cafes/shops, publicity, views, carriage comfort, child friendliness etc.  The list is only for lines I have travelled on, so the following railways are not yet included…Brecon Mountain, West Lancs, Teifi Valley, Sittingbourne and Kemsley, South Tynedale, Seaton Tramway, Hollycombe Steam Collection, Isle of Man railways (all)

rank		TOTAL
1	Rh Eryri (WHR)	91	PREMIER
2	Ffestiniog	90
3	Talyllyn	76
4	Vale of Rheidol	63
5	Snowdon Mountain	63
6	Bure Valley	62
7	Welshpool and Llanfair	62
8	Llanberis Lake	60	1ST DIV
9	Fairbourne	56
10	WHR Porthmadog	56
11	Bala Lake	54
12	Bressingham	54
13	Kirklees	54
14	Launceston	52
15	Evesham country park	51
16	Rudyard Lake	48	2ND DIV
17	Corris	47
18	Great Orme	45
19	Wells and Wals	43
20	Amerton	43
21	Llechwedd	42
22	Leighton Buzzard	42
23	Lynton and Barnstaple	41
24	Golden Valley	27	3RD DIV
25	North Glos	27
26	Steeple Grange	21
27	Derbys Dales	11	NL

comments welcome…

138 progress

I had some wonderful images sent me last night from Dad showing 138's body lined out.  I'll post some shots here asap and explain some of the changes made to the base kit to accommodate the WHR changes to the SAR design - there are quite a few!

watch this space.