4mm Carriages for LBSCR as well as LCDR

The other thing hat has been happening is I finally got the Craven birdcage and ducket brake checked and etched. I have yet to build another test of this but sometime soon.

The other bits in 4mm are etches for LC&DR carriages for Simon. These will be available later in 2017 as soon as they have been test built. These are two copies of 3rds and a 3rd Brake in the top photo and a 1st, compo and 2nd in the lower photo.

I am also working on the Craven locos again so may have them ready for the Windmill meeting also.

Cheers

Carriages in 7mm

You may have seen a photo in the latest Modellers Digest
http://lbscr.org/Models/Journal/LBSCR-Modellers-Digest-4.pdf
that I have a Dapol 7mm Terrier followed by some type 15 Craven carriages.
I have wanted a couple of sets of these so have drawn and had etched various types which I am slowly building the test etches of.
Type 15B, 1860 2nd class which with extra lamps and better upholstery also becomes the Type 15C 1st.

This shows as far as I have got with this, using some castings from SERKits  (https://serkits.com/) that look a good match. I was particularly pleased with the raised (bolection?) moulding around the windows. This was seen at the AGM and I have been asked by several people to make these available in 4mm as well. Chatting to Chris Cox of 5&9 Models, who has done this in 4mm in whitemetal, he had no objections, saying he had enough on with other projects, so I will be looking into this later.

Next to this is the Type 15J Brake 3rd of 1865 (?)

I have yet to complete the build of this test etch either!

I have also drawn the Type 15F 3rd as shown in the etch below, that also has a few brake parts so I can supply the 2nd with them for when these carriages were braked using the Westinghouse Air Brake. This will be built this week I hope.

I also thought of being able to supply the various other styles of brake 3rd luggage etc. as per this photo (below) of the sides of Type 15G Brake 3rd luggage with 1 full and 2 half compartments as in the top left; the Type 15H Brake 3rd luggage with 3 full compartments with the luggage compartment, top right; and also the Type 15I which gives a Brake 3rd with 3 and a half compartments (bottom right).

I will build these using the rest of the etch of the type 15J enabling me to offer 4 types of carriage from just two etches. 7mm seems to cost a bit more than 4mm so I am please to say that these are all working okay, just a minor misalignment of grab handle holes which are easily drilled through from the correctly sited front part of the carriage etch. Everything else has worked first time.

Then there is the Type 13F and Type 13A, left and right respectively in the photo below.

I have to do a bit more work on the 13F but the 13A is available already.

I have also gone even further back in time to the Type 8D, parts of the original are at the Bluebell, which has already been tried in 4mm, as shown in the blog earlier. Below shows this in 7mm alongside the Type 13A.

and in the following photo is the Type 9C Luggage Brake 2nd again alongside a Dapol Terrier and the 8D.

That is all for 7mm at the moment. I am aiming to get these ready for the Brighton Circle Windmill Meeting in March.

Starting to gather steam, at last!

As ever, I thought I would get so much completed and then failed miserably!
I hadn't realised just how ill I had become.
I was forced to retire early on medical grounds last March and have been steadily trying to get better ever since. I have tried Mindfullness courses that have helped a bit and had some hearing aids with special white noise generators built into them fitted. They have made a big difference but it wasn't until in the summer, on a beach, trying to take them out and go swimming, when I realised how much I now rely on them.
Anyway, modelling. The etches from last year have been made up as much as I could - still just finishing the loco. They needed a bit of tweaking as I said when I saw the brass. I spent some time recently feeling better so have started on this task.

The pictures show the Type 8D, a Craven 2nd at 4mm scale. A bluebell survivor albeit in bits at the moment. This is the third carriage from Merton at Wimbledon in the 1870s in the photo on page 111 of Vol 1 of the fabulous White, Turner & Foulkes books on LB&SCR Carriages.

I have a few minor corrections then this will be etched to order, expressions of interest please.

Mike Waldron has been so patient waiting for the Craven Brake Van with Birdcage and Ducket so that will be next. Again, I tested this about 8 years ago (!!!!) and it just needs to have the body to underframe join sorted out and the position of the birdcage sorted out so the top fold over from the sides can be removed where this occurs.

This is the one I am referring to. It will be slightly more expensive that other carriages as there are four layers of etch to build up the framing and so it is almost a full A4 size etch.

I have also found the 6 wheel underframe I worked on. Some of you have asked for these. I will get some etched to order.

I think I changed the brakes to be more slender and may have also given it springing. I will look out the drawings.

There are various other completed etches that I can order: Dia 18 saloon, Dia 38 1st Coupe, Dia 23 and 24 the 2nd saloons, Bullion van. There were others but those have already been etched now.

In 7mm, I have sent off for some more copies of the Type 13A Craven 1st. They will be available at the AGM for £36 each. Postage extra if not collected at the AGM.  I shall have 6 spare to sell then unless people reserve them first? They are at the etchers now as well as a couple in Gauge 3 which seem huge!

I will try and progress the locos and other etches a bit by then also.

Well I will bring things to the AGM as I have the rail ticket already bought this year and hope to see you there. I will try and update some more before then.

Many thanks for your continued support, I have needed it!

Cheers, Ian