Having done 4 ex-LMS Black 5's it's time to move onto my 2 Standard Class 5's. First one through works is a grubby one with tender leading for a change.
Another LNWR G2a but with a tender cab.
No additional modelling as such last month but something I've bought and not yet worked on. Thanks to 3D printing coming on in leaps and bounds over recent years I now have a 'Chesham set'. These carriages were built in 19th century as loco-hauled, then converted to electric and then converted back to loco-hauled for the Chesham branch. Each carriage is different and the brass kit was very expensive and needed skills beyond my level. The sets are now available ready to run at a price lower than the brass kit, just some detailing and maybe weathering needed in due course.
An Ivatt 2-6-0 in typical London Midland unkempt condition -
is there any other kind!
An ex-GWR Pannier weathered to show it in best Old Oak Common condition. A working engine that is kept clean and tidy!
Weathering makes the difference between looking like a toy and looking like the real thing.
Paul does an amazing job in enhancing the Accurascale Siphon G in these excellent 'before' and 'after' illustrations
The Hawksworth 4-6-0 County with a Class 1 working.
A great view from the platform of the station at work.
Paul has finished this 'French' or 'cupboard door' 16 tonner which makes a contrast with more normal 16 tonners in coal trains.
The much loved Triang Blue Pullman of the 1960's only had one type of trailer car. Thanks to 3D printing it's now possible to make a passable representation of a kitchen car which now puts in an appearance on Mantles Wood.
The ex-GWR Mogul in action on Mantles Wood.
With weathering the understated finish is always the mark of the expert at work.
The weathered Southern N Class Mogul is one of the latest additions to Paul's Mantles Wood locomotive stable. It's amazing the difference skilled weathering makes to the realism of a model railway.
A reworked ex-LNER K3 on a van train
Modernisation comes to Mantles Wood
in the shape of a diesel parcels railcar.
Paul called this a bucolic view of his goods shed.
Please enlarge if you can as the detail is stunning!
Weathering another Black 5 for Mantles Wood
The oversize handles let the model down and the change makes a huge difference. Weathering next!
Weathering box vans
Hunt elite couplings are a doddle to change, particularly if your model has NEM sockets. (See pic). There's an NEM fitting at one end and a magnet at the other. There are about 4 different lenghts of 'normal' one standard/intermediate/close/ultra close. They also do a number of specialised ones for specific items of rolling stock, and also fittings for old Airfix/Mainline and early Bachmann stock. There doesn't seem to be any limit to the length of train they can pull. Mostly sold in packs of 10 for £14-£15 for 10 pairs.
They also do N gauge. O guage is said to be 'coming soon' though I suspect the issue in O gauge is there's no standard fitting on the rolling stock side.
https://www.westhillwagonworks.co.uk/hunt-couplings-c-2/hunt-couplings-elite-oo-gauge-c-21/
AND A NEW SEASONAL VIDEO
November updates
Paul has been working on weathering ex-GWR Large Prairies - excellent results as always.
New Video
Paul has captured the The Rail Head Treatment Train
in action at Pantyfynnon (PTF) early on a November Monday
Paul's weathering activities with extra Black 5 pictures for Eddie Cooper...
Black 5 unkempt!
Black 5 fairly clean!
A clip of Flying Scotsman at Bishton on 19th May
Hawksworth Class 94xx - light weathering
Ex LNER D11 still seeing frontline service o Summer Saturdays