A GWR journey through the 1920s and 30s

Hello Bill. I have only just caught up with your thread.  Some excellent work here. :thumbs


Regards,


Terry

[user=1814]Longchap[/user] wrote:

I’ve now almost finished the loco schedule, so can soon decide on decoder strategy and then pick some brains for recommended CV settings.

Keep calm and on the right track 😊

Bill

Hi Bill

I dont pretend to be an expert but as we have a number of common models I am happy to share the Cv settings that I use for either Lenz or Zimo chips.  If you think it will help send me a PM with your loco roster and I will return it with my settings….if nothing else it will provide a start point

 Have you decided which decoders to use? As you know I standardised on Lenz but recently started switching to Zimo…..for reasons of both price and performance !

Keep well…..best wishes

John

Hi Terry and John and thank you very much for your kind words and I've PM'd you John regarding the loco roster.

Not a lot done today, except setting up the rolling road and running-in a couple of locos. That kind of counts as playing trains doesn't it?

Bill

In which a cunning plan is hatched to do more modelling!

The time so far used in the world-wide self isolation was initially taken up with DIY until I ran out of materials. I was then encouraged to get stuck into the gardening, the result being insufficient time spent with the railway. Mind you, I’ve been sorting through my locos, produced a stock list and have been running in locos, prior to installing some decoders, the Lenz and Zimos I have in stock.

Unfortunately, a nasty bout of flu which the bride had in January, laid me flat out in bed for most of the past week and with the current scare, the responsible thing was done and I’ve been holed-up in one of the holiday cottages. Worry not, I’m feeling very much better and looking forward to being allowed home before too long!

Today, I managed to gather some tools and paints together for some therapy and the posts by John and Michael prompted me to grab a selection of small people to help alleviate the mounting boredom.



I found the above in a storage drawer and was pleased with the haul. They are predominantly from GT Stevens, Modelu, Slaters (that particular £3 used packet from Hattons contains a few white metal stowaways!), Masterpiece, Dart and Monty’s.

Of note are the lesser known Masterpiece figures, who seem only to sell from shows and Michael the owner makes crew for specific locos, including three different sets for the Dean Goods. How cool is that? Other railway companies are apparently supported.

GT Stevens are also of particular interest. They supply numerous loco crew types and very usefully include two pairs of crew per packet, again I’ve only seen them at shows and grabbed a good handful of their products last year. As they include horses, both en repose and hauling, as well as the handlers and I was very pleased to obtain their horse shunting team, shown in more detail below.







This set thoughtfully provides some basic suggestions for rigging the tack and tackle, with wire, chain and twine provided to help make a half decent job, although more research will be done before assembly.

I have a book on heavy horses and tack, but also Russell’s ‘Great Western Horsepower’. Russell is a well known and respected historian and author in GWR circles, but this time it’s Janet, not Jim, providing the gen in this well illustrated volume, which does everything you would expect it to from the title.

I’ll be trying several approaches, including pre-shading, dry brushing and washes in order to try and get some depth and texture in the figures and when happy, will post some results.

Stay calm and take care everyone,

Bill

That's quite a haul to have hidden away Bill - are you planning a canal on your layout ?  The horses would be spot on for hauling dumb barges.

Pleased to hear you're getting over the flu - I'll bet that was a worrying time for you …………….

Hi Bill
I am so glad that you have recovered from the flu, as Peter said, that must have been a very worrying time for you both…do take care.

I thought I was bad at collecting hoards of unpainted figures but your collection definitely takes the award! In fairness painting on a production line actually makes sense…..saves paint and avoids smudging

I was particularly impressed with the shunting kits. I think a lot of modellers forget or, more probably are unaware of, how reliant the railways were on horse power right up to the early fifties. Layouts based later than that should still show some evidence…..the branch stable converted to a garage. 

I am looking forward to seeing your collection painted.

Keep well

John

Bill, that is indeed a fine selection of figures to have hidden away in a drawer.  I look forward to seeing your progress.
Michael

'Orses? 'Orses? I'll show you wottern 'orse looks like!

Yours truly in 1989, harrowing out couch at the Devon Shire Horse Centre at Dunstone nr Yealmpton, Devon. He's called 'Baron', [the 'orse, not the handsome young shaver holding the string….]




…and here with my daughter, Claire, up on him. I recall I got hell, he was hot and wet after the afternoons work, and her jeans had been put on clean, to go out in. I didn't notice the horsey smell at the restaurant that evening….



Douglas

Sorry, couldn't resist,

Now that's what I call a norse - I don't think it's a Shire or Suffolk Punch but what breed is he Doug ? 

p.s. nice fleece on your chin too.   :cheers

Oh Peter!

Baron of Boringdon Hall was all Shire! Note my 'ToeTecters'!

A steady, totally biddable animal, who would remember me from one sea trip away to another. Once, when again harrowing with him, this time with a novice alongside, I was clearing the steel spike harrows [10" spikes, 8ft wide] when a swarm of bees flew within feet of us. The novice reared, leapt sideways towards me pulling the harrow over my left leg and appeared to be ready to head for the woods with me in the spikes. I bellowed 'Baron STAND!' and he braced himself against the novice, whose name escapes me. I'm glad the harness was all locally made and newish, because I'm still here today to tell the story.

Below, more happy memories..




Sorry for the high-jack! [Fleece?! That's wire wool…well it was in those days.

Douglas

Again, sorry for the high-jack, but back on theme, the upper horse here looks, from the angle of its chains as though it should be attached to a scuffle, or similar agricultural implement, such as this weed hoe, below. Am I right, do you think? [Bit more wire wool here, must be just back from somewhere…]


When working, the crows feet blades would be lowered mechanically, and the horse stepping forward would strech the chain you see attached to the hames on the collar to pull on the small hook where you see the tail of the chain haging straight down. That would tilt the crows feet downwards as the chain extended and allow him to step off a pace before the blades bit in. The difficult part was swinging the handle from left/right/left to keep the blades between the rows of mangles/'snips etc. whist steering the 'oss as unlike a ploughed furrow there was no previously cut path to eye.

Douglas


The chap in the red shirt is the late Tony Flower, who owned the farm. Never a more generous man.

Hello Peter, John, Michael and Douglas and thank you for your interest. Sorry for the late reply, as my recovery has tripped up a tad and I've stopped fighting the afternoon fatigue and now sleep instead. I made a start on a couple of the Modelu guards and one of the Masterpiece figures though and have learnt enough to alter the technique for the next ones. More details in due course.

Thank you Douglas for your excellent contributions, which are by no way considered a hijack, but add valuable information. Horses will get more than a passing appearance on my as yet un-named layout, which is why I'm delighted that we have our own heavy horse handler, with personal and obviously much happy experience with these beautiful and characterful working animals, which in their varied forms, have been of immense importance to mankind for thousands of years.

I hadn't yet studied the shunting horses carefully, to compare the tack with reference photos. The photo below, is the only one I have so far found, but research continues. This is from Janet Russell's magnificent 'Great Western Horsepower', published by OPC, sadly out of print and is included here purely in the interest of research and teaching.



It depicts the last shunting horse at Paddington, taken in 1925. Although other photos seem elusive, due to standardisation policies of the GWR, it can reasonably be assumed that the simplified trace harness would have been used throughout the company system.

My other reference book is Terry Keegan's 'The Heavy Horse, its Harness and Harness Decoration' by Pelham Books, while I am fortunate enough to have discovered a basic French set of heavy horse tack hanging on their wooden pegs in the barn, where we now live, having been resting there ever since the winemaker got his first tractor! The horse stalls and manger were all present in what is now the kitchen.

Thanks again Douglas for your most interesting and useful contributions.

Bill

Still under the weather here, with little vigour, yet a willingness to get something done, so even some slow progress is good, n'est pas?

I've had a batch of Modelu figures, the early red ones in hiding for a while, so thought it was time to see what they're like to work with. These are 3D printed figures and are produced from digital scans of real people and have received good reviews in the railway press. The printing process produces a series of feeder rods for the upper structure, as necessary to print the figure from the bottom up, but absolutely no flash.





Just a slight touch with a new scalpel in my trusty Swan Morton parted the surplus red stuff and remaining preparation was to give them a quick wipe with IPA and glue them to a suitable temporary base for ease of painting.



I won't bore you with a description of the painting process, the stages of which can be seen from left to right above. The last chap is from Modelu's Pendon range and is one of the many people 'in conversation', which I'm sure will help create likeable cameo scenes in due course.


The close up revealed some overpainted areas of the shirt over the jacket, which have since been rectified. To finish, I'll use a very diluted wash, more like a darker tint on the faces to give more detail definition, as shading and painting in features at this scale is simply beyond me. I'll also use a matt varnish for protection, as the thin diluted layers of paint tend to rub off with handling.

Under a magnifier, you are able to see the printed layers, but the equipment used must be more sophisticated to others I've seen, as they are invisible to the naked eye.

I've done some metal ones as well, but the Modelu take the prize for realism, provided you steer clear of the more well fed 'models' for use on layouts pre-second half of the 20th century!

Take care out there everyone,

Bill

Just caught up Bill. Lovely work with the air brush and powders. Hope you start feeling better soon.

Hi Bill
Sorry to hear that you are still feeling poorly……..do take it easy. I am a great believer in following Churchill’s example and regularly indulge in a post lunch period of contemplation.

You have made a splendid start with those figures….I particularly admire the guys complexion its far more subtle than my efforts

Seeing the red unpainted figures reminded me what a good move It was for Alan to change the colour and formula of the base material. I found the red required far more coats of paint with all the inherent risk of clogging the detail.

I am impressed with the Pendon figures…I look forward to seeing some more

Get well soon

Best wishes

John

Very realistic looking figures Bill.:thumbs


Hope you feel better soon.


Terry

Just wondering how you're feeling now Bill - in these troubled times, one is easily worried by flu-like symptoms ………………………..

Tht's an excellent job of painting you've shown us there.  Did you use the much lauded "diluted black/brown wash" as a final dip - the detail is brilliant and the flods and creases show up so well.  I wonder why Modelu used that strange red plastic - was it cheaper or easier to print than other colours ?

Take care of your health - there's not much help coming from the weather just now if you're in the same system we are - it's moved from great to un-great !!!

Well hello Chaps,

Thank you for your kind and well received comments. Marty, your message caught me by surprise, with my initial verbal reaction of, ‘God bless you Marty’.

Suffice to say, I have been much reduced of late, as this virus doesn’t care about anything than it’s progressive spread across the planet, no matter the cost to others. With fingers crossed, I think I may be over the worse of it though (my temperature is still elevated) and I certainly don’t want any repeat of my low points. Recovery however will be a long process, as I am so weak.

Then came John, with your usual friendly message full of encouragement and hope. I have indeed been indulgent in post lunch contemplation, from the comfort of a wonderful cool stone clad room in one of our holiday cottages, with the windows open, cool breeze and birdsong flooding in, vineyards in the middle distance, as the body snoozes, while the brain entertains me in flights of fancy. Incidentally John, I have ordered a dozen more ‘grey’ ModelUs which are in transit and with free postage.

Terry, your message brought yet another smile to my face. I deeply regret our  exchange of words on another subject last year and am so pleased to see and take renewed inspiration from you latest layout. My big (300+mm diameter) illuminated magnified could never enable me to produce such finescale 2mm majesty.

Finally, thank you Peter, more broad smiles and I am so pleased that Letsie and I met you and Liz last summer and of course saw your project, now very much in hand. I did add a dark wash to one of the guards, just for the heck of it. As expected, due to pre-shading and his dark blue uniform kecks, it turned him into a miner after a 12 hour shift. Probably fine for a fireman at the footplate, but he’ll be taking an early bath before trying again. I did however add a black wash to a painted set of Airfix figures and they looked very passable.



I painted these 45 years ago, then gave them a black wash a few days back. Such a shame the 20 something me didn't bother to correct moulding issues! 'Twill be sorted in due course.

Time for my nap and thank you again for your kind words and thoughts,
 
Bill

So glad to hear you are on the mend Bill:thumbs
Best wishes

John

Yes indeed John - delighted to see you posting again Bill but above all, take things steadily, there's absolutely no rush and your health always comes first.

I had read somewhere about using a black wash on figures plus, I'm pretty sure I read an article where the author advocated the use of a black undercoat.  Maybe the wash needs to be very much a wash ………………….