Genesis

Hello Readers,

I have never done this, "blogged" I mean so please bear with me while I make a huge number of gaffs and generally buggar it up to buggary. 

(Please note all the pics in this intro have been pulled off the web, if they are yours please let me know and I will remove them).

My name is Lee, I have just turned 41 (eek), I live in Colchester, Essex with two mates and 4 bonkers cats. While I cannot draw or paint in two dimensions for toffee I have had numerous hobbies with an artistic bent in three dimensions pretty much all my life.

Mmmmm.....the first I suppose would be (showing my age) Dungeons & Dragons at about 13. While I hardly ever played the actual game (too long winded) I use to love reading the manuals.

For those who don't know it was basically World Of Warcraft when computers did naff all. You would choose a class of character be it fighter, elf, dwarf, wizard - or magic user as they were known - and many others and indeed others in between (elf/wizard etc). You would choose your alignment (stretching my memory here but good, neutral and evil were the main but there permutations within that too - Lawful Evil rings a bell). The stats (health, intelligence, wisdom etc) would be determined by rolls of one of many die (the plural of dice!) needed in the game (there were about 10 I think, all different shapes).

So you would have your players and one chump would elect to be the Dungeon Master. This is the guy who controls the game who needed to make a plan of what it was you were exploring (like a castle, or ruin or well...a dungeon) and draft a story. The players then plod about rolling the numerous die (the plural of dice remember) pretending to be the characters they were...and then arguing a lot about really pedantic points...hence while I didn't play it much. 

Monsters advance on the players..what will they do? Roll a D20...yawn!

My interest was really painting the figures. While there were numerous makes Citadel Miniatures where the mainstay and by far the best, made of what is now known as white metal (lead/tin alloy I think) they were beautifully sculpted and cast. A magazine came out for these uber nerds, White Dwarf (still going strong) which showed all the latest techniques on how to paint the little buggars. It also told us about new products....the main being Citadel paint and later on washes and inks used to create special effects in relation to artificial shadows and light...but more on that later. 

Looks like an Orc Thief - an odd combo to be sure! Noisy buggars they are....drooling everywhere.

 
As with all things interest in D & D waned and was replaced by Warhammer. Same sort of figures but the game is played in a different way, on a large board with chunks of figures being moved after measurements are taken with a ruler. 

Sunday Battle Reenactment - think of all that that horsey shite!

Think of a war film where the posh gits in the control room move representations of planes about with a stick and you get the picture. While the figures where essentially the same it meant painting numerous ones of the same....over and over and over again, very boring from a painting perspective and liked the game the game even less than D & D. 

While this is still played, it was superseded by Warhammer 40k, much the same thing really but set in the future so swaps swords for guns etc....I was even less interested in this.

Space Marines and a tank...thingy...that's cheating!

So....times moves on and I moved more into the realm of science fiction being a big fan of Star Wars/Star Tek et all...but the only modelling really was odd AMT/ERTL kit. Now these are things I am not very good at, I get glue everywhere and to be honest I find these sorts of things a complete pain in the arse to paint. Moreover, there is not really a great deal I find you can you add your own flair....artificial light and shadow don't really apply to these sorts of things very much but it did lead me on to something much more interesting.

USS Enterprise E - you sexy beast you!

While you can no longer seem to buy them there was huge range and sub-culture for models of characters from film, TV, horror and sci-fi. Generally available in either 1/6 & 1/8 scale, made of resin or vinyl one could barely call them model kits. Large pieces that usually only perhaps needed the arms and legs sticking on and the smallest amount of filler or preparation. 

Sir Pin of Head of the Wilmington Cenobites - and a weird Japense girly thing...no idea why that's there.

The art & skill however was all in the painting, using techniques such as drybrushing, washes, blending, powder brushing, under brushing, wet brushing all to create effect/dirt/light/shadow. These techniques are still used to great success by all sorts of modellers with an emphasis on the guys that create military master pieces. Try our friend Google and you will see numerous examples of this.

"I have such sights to show you....on your left you will see Wilmington Gentlemen's club....now can anyone open this bloody thing, my packed lunch is inside it!"

While I never climbed to the top of the tree I was reasonably respected in this field, and had one or two magazine covers showing stuff I had done (alas now lost to the sands of time) but again.....time moves on, life gets in the way and these things are put aside.

 And I didn't do anything like this for years (the sci-fi stuff was my early 20s). Then I met my friend Matt. I knew he had an interest in trains but wasn't until he let me rummage through his cupboard to find all of the goodies he had collected that I realised how much. I had wondered though why he had all these bits and pieces but nothing actually like a working layout, despite numerous scratch built items and a loco kit he designed himself (Merseyside Class 502...more about that later) all made to the highest level of precision I had seen. Simple answer and I think common to many folk with an engineering interest was he didn't like painting them.

Hello Ying meet Yang!

Inspiration

So....intro over and if I haven't bored you, dear reader, to death the point of it was to tell you what my background was. More to the point while I do like "trainsets" (narf narf) and layouts and the like my interest is limited and incidental. What I mean by that is while I am getting better I often forget what each class is and threads on fora about good or bad detail of a particular released kit mean very little to me as I don't look at them with the scrutiny that is so often seen on such places.

Hornby VEP - Heinous and wrong....apparently

 My main interest is scenics, specifically structures and buildings. While I have built a few kits (better than I used, no glue everywhere!) and had a go at some scratch building MOST of what will follow has been built by Matt (Ying). I suppose the main point of this blog, if there is one, is to talk about techniques that I have learned elsewhere (see...there was a point to all that) translate into this world, and they are techniques that are often not used by others. I have often seen something on a layout while well constructed I often think "would be better if I had painted it" or perhaps more accurately "if someone with these techniques had painted it" (not arrogant - such observation and opinion). On that note actually I will be the first to admit that I do think construction is the greater skill over painting. Having said that I also firmly believe the best constructed kit, kit-bash or scratchbuild can be ruined by a piss poor paint job. Conversely something built that is a bit....erm...bodgy can also be saved, or at least disguised by a good one (paint job).

1930s Half Relief Cinema - Built (bodged) by me!

However, I do enjoy painting and weathering locos. Actually painting them (as in a re-spray) is a pain in the arse but it's all a means to an end (again more on that later). Weathering however is great fun and to me takes something made of plastic (and looks obviously so) and makes it look real.

Project 206 - Dirty!

Concept

Now, dear readers, I will talk about the layout itself (finally I hear you shout). This used to be on several fora, firstly on Rmweb where it attracted some attention but alas due to a silly misunderstanding and something dumb I allowed to happen it isn't anymore, in fact I am banned by IP! It was on others to but to be honest...I found the novelty has worn off and they bore me. Perhaps this is due to loco knowledge these people have (that 33 has one too many pipey things - perhaps it does, who is going to know as it trundles along more to the point who cares.) or the polictics or the clique factor but they now turn me off.

Yeah...it's the polictics, an obscure group of people all vying for perceived power...but it's power over nothing. Big fish in little pond doesn't quite cover it...how about shark in a puddle...flapping about and being generally annoying and flappy!

Anyhoo.....

Shelvington: In The Beginning (pardon the repeats):

Layout Name - Shelvington
Scale/Gauge - p4
Size (length/width/height... not forgetting to include operating space!) -Stage 1 4.7m x .45m with stage 2 6.25 x 3.25 in an 'L' max width .45m
Potentially an exhibition layout
End-to end
BR/SR early 1975Era/region/location

Matt's mum's parents lived in Fairlands, near Guildford and an aunt and uncle lived in Woking. So childhood holidays always involved trips on BIGs and CIGs, REPs and TCs, Tadpoles, VEPs and 33s on West of Englands, the Waterloo and City stock and of course VECs and TISs on the Isle of Wight. So it is our aim to build a layout in the Surrey/Hampshire border somewhere in the Guidlford/Aldershot/Woking triangle.

The fictitious history is that the LSWR build a direct line to Farnham off the Portsmouth Direct at Worplesdon, which became a junction station and was renamed Mayford (which it is actually closer to than Worplesdon). The line passed through Worplesdon Village and skirted around the site of the the 1930's Fairlands development before arriving in Shelvington (the layout is going to sit on a shelf in the hobby room!).

The line continued on with a station at Normandy, and then under the Guildford -Reading line near Ash. The fictitious line then joined the actual route of the Guildford - Farnham via Tongham line with stations at Ash Green and Tongham, joining the Aldershot -Farnham line at Farnham Junction. Shelvington became an important junction station with the arrival of a secondary line from Guildford. Tired of wranglings with the SECR for joint running over the Reading -Rehill line (actually the LSWR built the Guildford-Ash bit - but that doesn't work for my story!).

The LSWR built a line which left the Portsmouth direct North of Guildford at the fictitious location of Wooden Bridge Junction (where the A3 passes under the Portsmouth Direct). This line curved around the north west districts of Guildford, passing under the Aldershot Road at Rydes Hill, where the Southern provided a precast concrete halt in the 1930's (inspiration is Three Oaks on the Ashford-Hastings line), before joining the Worplesdon -Farnham line at a four platform 'V' station at Shelvington. This line continued on to join the LSWR mainline East of Farnborough Main, with a loop back to Ash Vale. Only the line from Mayford Junction to Farnham was electrified by the Southern at the time of the Alton electrification. The attached map gives an idea of my work of fiction!

Fictional (in part) Map

 Dear Dr Beeching saw no value in the the lines continuing west beyond Shelvington, but the lines east to Woking and Guildford were profitable. Shelvington station was rationalised to just the central platforms forming the 'v', most of the buildings were demolished and a clasp building in the height of 1960's modernism erected.. Signalling is largely still mechanical (signal box based on Wool), although colour lights have arrived for the platforms which didn't have a signal at the east end.

Trackplan

In the early 70's one of the other platforms was rebuilt for the stub half hourly DEMU service to Guildford with every other train going on to Redhill and Tonbridge, two DEMU stabling roads and a refuelling point are also now provided.

There will be lots to identify it as a modernish (it is set nearly 30 years ago!!!) image Southern layout, with Alder Valley buses, concrete buildings, warm red brick and tile hung buildings.

And of course the Farnham line nearby was a regular host to test trains, so expect to see a W&C single car, 4 VEC and  a 2PEP (aluminum one is enticing)

So...that's it in a nutshell.

What Was Once Can Never Be Again

Or what makes a good model railway layout?

Discuss.....

Seriously as with all "art" this is truly in the eye of the viewer and I am not going to say you are wrong for liking what you like but I will tell you what I think (it's my blog)...

Often folk talk about model rail cliches, things they see again and again and again. The church with a wedding or funeral (or even both!), the obligatory water feature (with someone fishing), house on fire, fire engines and police cars with blinking lights at an accident scene, the improbable tunnel [the one where the track goes through the only rock on an otherwise completely flat flood-plain], the obligatory ruined castle, unaltered RTP buildings, buses on bridges (don't get that one to be honest).

Alas I see much more than this given that a cliche is something that is seen over and over again - the quaint country setting with lovely fields and sheep, the quaint station, the quaint water tower, the quaint coaling stage, the quaint signal box, the quaint people in 30s - 60s clobber and the quaint....steam engines.

Hornby Duke of Gloucester - Big & Green

 Quaint! Sorry but visit any model rail show and you will see the same thing over and over and over again, albeit presented slightly differently (with some exceptions). I had a recent ephinay as I could never remember the names of layouts. when persusing upcoming showguides. I thought old age was setting in. It isn't that though...to me it's because of many of that ilk are so similar they don't stay in my brain i.e. you can replace one with another and barely notice the difference.

Nice - yes Original - not very

 If you are a fan of steam fair enough, and I am not implying a steam layout means one that isn't any good, obviously not there are amazing works (in terms of modelling and skill) in this genre, even ones that have all the "cliches" but it's still a representaion of the same thing. While I am too young to remeber the active days of steam I do get why they are popular to some extent...many of them have character and are marvels of engineering and they are "romantic"...but sorry time moves on.

In many ways it seems to be clinging onto a bygone era when life was better, and evil Beeching cut a swathe through the land.....but was it and did he? In todays terms they were slow. Have you ever actually looked at pre-Beeching rail map? It was absurd. Many companies all singing to a different song. Yes - he probably went to far (evidence by the reinstatement of some lines) yes the whole affair stank given that the ultimate guy in charge had a financial interest in diverting traffic to the roads (dubious politicians - nothing new there) but clinging on to branch lines cos they were interesting is complete crap.

Before and After.

Peoples needs change with technology. Before trains there were canals to move goods, the arrival of trains meant they were no longer needed in that way. Sad but true. Installation of gas into consumer houses, the advent of nuclear power, and the replacement of steam to diesel then electric locos meant to demand for coal was massively diminished hence the closure of many coal mines. Badly handled by the Government yes but continuing to pay to dig up a resource not needed anymore makes no sense.

A simplified view I know but not untrue, like it or not. If you want to paint a picture with your layout of when life was better that's up to you - it's your layout but it isn't mine and we strive to do "something different".

As I mentioned though there are exceptions. There are some sublime steam based layouts - The Gresley Beat, Liverpool Lime Street (mainly steam), Sumatra Road and Rod Stewarts Three Rivers City. 1920's USA captured to perfection probably the best model rail layout in the world I have ever seen. I had assumed being a famous, rich bloke he had simply paid people to do it all, I assumed wrong he does much of it himself. What all three of these have in common though is concept, scale and grandiosity - and of course originality.

Sumatra Road - North London grime

 

Gresley Beat - church like structure in the background received funeral trains - I thinks it's called a Necropolis.

Lime Street - epic!

Three Rivers City - Astonishing!

 Whatever you chosen subject/era there is one thing to bear in mind. Yes it's a model of a railway but an actual railway exists for a reason be that to move goods or people or both. What I mean by that is, on the whole, the land it sits on was there before the railway was. While that might sound obvious it's quite a skill to make a model actually look like that. In an ideal world you would design your landform adding the grass,trees, roads, houses etc and then put a rail line through it by cutting a swathe through the land. Obviously this is not practical and a waste of time, but we do need to strive to make it look like that's what we did. The most realistic layouts are the ones where the train lines and associated permanent way are incidental.

Again occasionally there are exceptions - there have been instances where a small town or village has grown into something much more because trains stopped there, that's economics and human geography so in those instances you can build around it (though the land sculpting principle remains the same, and the line should follow the most logical route and not go through rock for the sake of it - remember the improbable tunnel!).

Dirty & Smelly

Ahhhh weathering, lovely weathering. The difference between plastic toy and the world in miniture.
While I will go into more detail at some point, and add pics here at some point I have a basic technique I would like to share.

Preparation & Materials

 

Firstly it is much easier if one can take the glazing out of an RTR. Some fall out at the slighest pressure, some do not or end up damaged if you try. We have found they will generally come out of actual locos but fully glazed models (such as an EPB, CEP, VEP) they do not, or at least not very easily without causing damage.

I find there is no need to pre-treat them, other than a brush off of dust. Perhaps if it is one you have had for a while it may need to be cleaned of fingermarks and the like, but given I only ever weather with enamels this will act as degreaser anyway so probably very little need. On that note....

The Best Thing About Acrylics Is They Dry Quickly,The Worst Thing About Acrylics Is They Dry Too Quickly....

Use what you will but this is my experience, no matter what potion is added to an acrylic mix (i.e. a retarder). Enamels stay in a workable state to allow the effects I am about to describe, they also behave differently in wash form. Given that an acrylic wash is mainly water i find it will just sit on the surface, and not always go into the recesses of thing and that's mostly the point of washes...but as I say horses for courses. I will normally be talking about Humbrol tinlets in terms of colour, unless stated otherwise.

The Loco Body - Stage One 

 

I used to apply a black/brown (62 leather + black to a mix of what looks like sludge) wash to the body and work it but now I find a light misting from an airbrush is actually much more effective. Applied over the roof and sides this is left to become visually dry, it will only take a few minutes. A flat brush moistened in thinners is then drawn down the sides, cleaning most of it off. This is to simulate dirt and crap that has been washed down from the roof and body and this needs to be as vertical as one can muster, as skew whiff streaks will look odd. The brush needs to be cleaned every so often but its continued until both sides have been complete. It's hard to explain until you do it but drawing down the dry, dusty applied dirt colour will reactivate it and streak in a very convincing way. For the roof most of it needs to be simply wiped with thinners moist kitchen paper, dirt/paint will stay in the areas most likely to be dirty.

The mix is then altered to be more brown/less black and the same mist applied to the rear and the front (all of our locos have yellow ends, but the technique is the same either way). While some of it is removed from the back I find very little needs doing. as this the area that would connect to another unit it would usually be missed when cleaned and would remain grimy. The front however is a different story. Generally I have found even the dirtiest machines would have the yellow ends kept reasonably clean, for safety reasons. Having said that, Google your prototype and you will undoubtedly find pictures to the contrary, it will depend on what level of filth you are after.

Class 42 Warship - in our timeframe on its last legs so nose is deliberately dirtier than i would normally do.

Either way this mist is wiped off with kitchen towel, again moistened in thinners. Most of will come off but grime will stay in areas where the towel doesn't reach, simulating where the cleaners didn't get to. That's it...this all needs to be left to dry (8 hours or even better overnight). Same treatment as before with the roof, wiping off the relevant amount of paint.

The Coach Body - DEMU-EMU type 

 

Initial technique is slightly different to an actual engine. Again Google your prototype and you should find these are generally cleaner, I suppose because actual passengers got in them and the fact they don't as much to generate filth and dirt (like vents). The first stage is the same applied colour as before but rather than drawing it down it is simply wiped of with kitchen paper. This will retain the dirt between panel lines, doors, handles. Back and front same as above.

Bachmann MLV - less dirty than an engine.

 Stage 2

Check your model, if you are happy that the general body sides are convincing they are fine, if not or you want a real dirty boy stage one can be repeated. You will find an odd look to the finish where matt paint has streaked a semi-matt factory finish, worry not dear reader this will be sorted at the end.

If you are happy it's dirty enough for a general use loco we can move on - more of the same really, but we will now being showing where more dirt has built up. Again another pass of the airbrush, but this mix will be more black, less brown. Let is visually dry. Now look at your loco and see the vent and protrusions where dirt would cling to, and more to the point where fuel would dribble from. Take the same flat brush and again draw down all the areas where you don't think this would occur, you should now being seeing an pattern with the previously streaky bits are intersected with blocks of the still sprayed colour lining up with the vents and bits. Again let it dry for a bit to allow the "cleaned areas" settle and even out. Now draw the brush down on these areas but with lighter pressure. You should firstly see these areas reactivate then start to streak. Keep pulling down, applying slightly more pressure as you near the bottom of the loco and it will cause the streaking to fade very convincingly.

Warship - pissing oil!

 Look at the back again, it might need another pass it might not. Look at the front, it might need another pass it might not. Either way with the front I apply the same wash as before in strategic areas, around the front pipes, around the windows, under the hood if its that type or anywhere that you think dirt might collect.. This then blended/faded out with a moistened brush. Let it all dry.

206 - note shading/dirt under roof, above windows, near pipes above the bufferbeam.

The Coach Body - DEMU-EMU type 

 

Same thing, apply the mist, let it dry drawn it down. But remove much more of it than you would for an engine. As we said they are generally cleaner but you will often seem streaking. Back and front same as above. Roof as above but remove less paint. A look at your prototype should show you that roofs are often so dirty they almost look black. Once this has dried it would also be the time to add a mist of pure black around any roof vents/exhausts. I say mist but if you do not own an airbrush drybrushing also works, but try to use a puffy brush and a vertical stippling motion in the area, side to side like you would normally do will not work.

Coach Style Roof 

 

Unless there are a lot of conduits etc on the roof I find a few passes with the same airbrush dirt is usually enough. I have tried washes but find that have a habit of drying in odd patterns with little benefit. If there is lots of conduit it will benefit from a light drybrushing of a grey lighter than that of the roof, just to bring out the details. I would strongly advise against drybrushing the actual surface of the roof itself, dry brushing flat surfaces does not work under normal circumstances and you will end up with roof that passes well for stone if you try it!

206 roof - conduit highlighted with subtle drybrushing.

Stage 3 - Applies to Both Types

Limescale - often seen this is less is more kind of deal. Caused by water (obviously) dripping down the roof a very pale grey (white is too white) is thinned and drawn down in a thin line where you think a streak may be likely. This then dispersed with a moistened brush to make it more subtle and to add a grainy texture, and then drawn down at the sides to define the streak. You will probably find as it dries there is white where you don't want it to be in the area. using clean spirit to kind of chase this back into the streak itself and it will leave that area clean. Lastly the vents and bits we took the darker streaking down from are likely to be themselves too clean, a thin black wash simply needs to be placed into these areas.

Warship - limescale and filth.

Finish

A matter of some debate but I prefer a totally matt finish. No they are not totally matt in real life but most objects that have a sheen, when viewed from any sort of distance do not appear to have any sheen (don't believe me - look at the cars in a car park from distance, its hard to see them shine unless the light is hitting them at just the right way). We have tried many finishes but find that testors Dullcote is the most reliable. Having said that  - do not spray on wet days or in sheds or anywhere there might be moisture in the air. You might find  the dreaded white bloom (caused by moisture being trapped underneath the medium). After this has dry you can re-fit the glazing, or replace with flush type if you are that way inclined.

206 - dirty bogies are better than black plastic ones! Note frame dirt.

Underframe and Bogies

Treating these is easy and these are the most plasticky looking parts on mosts RTR (most likely on account as they are made of plastic - black, shiny plastic!). Stage one is wash of the same 62/black but more on the 62...it will look like dirty rust. Apply it over everything, let it dry. Stage 2 - drybrush the entire thing with a lighter rust colour, I usually use 62 with a touch of white. Let it dry - stage 3 apply a dark brown wash to even out the drybrushing. For this I personally use Model Mates oil brown. A relatively new product it's an alcohol based medium that i think is very convincing for...oil. If you dont have this a dark brown paint will do also. Let it dry. I would now seal this, again with Testors. Once that has dry you might want apply more special effects such as seeping oil and the like. AK Interactive has some greet stuff to simulate this, and the product stays slightly glossy and remains wet looking. This should be applied to bogie springs and anywhere oil might be.

Marry the two back together and you are nearly there. The last stage is Phoenix Precision frame dirt, applied at very low pressure to the bogies and the very lowest part of the body sides.

That's it, in its basic form. you should now have a loco that looks much more real than it did.

 Go on...have a go.....you know you want to.

Blue Is The New Black

BR Blue that is. That is what we choose to model. Why? To us it's when engines still had some character, there is lots to choose from and it has memories for Matt, and some for me...though for me they are vague and dreamlike as in I am not sure the memories are real...if that makes sense. I come from Clacton On Sea, and the family never had much money so didn't use trains very often. But I am sure I remember seeing blue on one of our rare trips out, specifically a lifetime long journey (in the mind of a child) to Edinburgh where my dad hails from.

More than anything it's simply a nice colour! It also means we get to see the unfortunately named arrows of indecision, a logo so iconic that it is still used after all this time (perhaps they couldn't decide on a new one - bwhahahaha).

Trainee: "This way or that sir? - Manager: "Whichever is the most inefficient and expensive lad!"

I suppose as people are becoming nostalgic about diesel and BR blue it is becoming more popular and is being seen at shows more and more. Societies now exist to cater for this, try www.demu.org.uk. Of course there is not enough but time will pass and the interest will grow.

From my own painting perspective it gives me the chance to make them dirty, cos they were. Dirty, stinky, things (recently rode a class ... at ... railway, my god I had forgotten just how stinky!) but we love them all the more for it. They pissed oil and fuel at every opportunity, they smoked like yer nan on 40 a day Woodbines and they were workhorses, no airs and graces they just did what they did. As I describe these I expect the detail may be lacking for those who crave this, as I said I still get classes mixed up, I don't know what the detail is to know whether or not it is lacking (air horns are forever known to me as honkers) perhaps this blog is not for you....

Our Fleet...

We have many to choose from, alas at the present stage in all manner of stages of "finished" but there are a few I can show. As we like to be original some of these do not exist as RTR, again Matt being very clever in terms on construction we are able to have engines no one else does. Mostly fitted with sound (more on that to come).

Class 206 3R DEMU "Hastings"

Warrior Square - have you seen my inhaler?

I couldn't quite believe this when I was told but this was born out of need. Apparently a tunnel in the area was contracted out, and it seemed in this case the cheapest was not the best because the contractors had skimped on the tunnel thickness and this made it unsafe. So in true inefficient fashion more contractors went in to add further skins of bricks (why pay once when you can pay twice!).

However, this made the tunnel too narrow to allow safe clearance for standard sizes so what to do....make a completely new one that will fit (that's BR budgeting!). Actually, I jest they were not 'built' as such but rather re-formed from Class 201 and EPB vehicles for use on Reading-Redhill-Tonbridge (North Downs Line) services. Six three-car sets were created, numbered 1201-1206.

This is available from DC Kits but we decided to make our own. Using Bachmann EPB the underframe was the right size but the body and roof were not. A new body was designed by Matt on CAD (2D only) and sent off to the etchers, while the roof was split down the middle...some material removed and rejoined (cut & shut!). All new conduits and roof vents were then added.

Hope you like it.

 The Fleet...

Class 33/2

Wiki Info: The British Rail Class 33 also known as the BRCW Type 3 or Crompton is a class of Bo-Bo diesel-electric locomotives ordered in 1957 and built for the Southern Region of British Railways between 1960 and 1962. A total of 98 Class 33s were built by the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company (BRCW) and were known as "Cromptons" after the Crompton Parkinson electrical equipment installed in them.[1] Like their lower-powered BRCW sisters (BR Classes 26 and 27), their bodywork and cab ends were of all steel construction. The original (1957) number sequence was D6500–D6597.

Woking Station

 Interesting that...well, it may be to some of you. Either way...I like them, the shape, the design, they look like plucky little do all chaps.

Northfleet Cement

Now....ours:

This the Heljan 33, (fuel tank has been removed for Matt to plonk the speaker stuff in, other pics will be added later) the new one just released at time of writing. Generally well received by the relevant media with the exception of Rail Express's model section. I cannot say whether Simon Bendall is correct, I expect he is he knows his stuff but again....not relevant to me.