Category: Model Railway Blog

Lower Tedford is a simple 2 track arrangement at the lower level and is basically a scenic fiddle yard that works as a destination for DMUs and local trains from Bearham. It was initially constructed about 5 years ago and the run round loop was always too short for a 4 coach train. Over Christmas it has been completely rebuilt with a new thin baseboard and track and is now longer so that a 4 coach train will fit and the loco can run around. This works much better than before.

A project over Christmas was to add a new bay platform at Tedford. The end of the car park was cleared and the back edge of that end of platform 1 was given new edging to form platform 0. It was just possible to open out a new bridge archway and lay a length of track that joins into the up main line via a curved point at the start of the fiddle yard. Access to the new bay platform will be by running the wrong way through one of the up main fiddle yard roads. Signalling has been added that interlocks with the route settings and a Right Away button on the control panel. Initially a Dapol semaphore was fitted but this was recovered from elsewhere and was unreliable so has been replaced with a two aspect colour light signal. The area in front of the bay platform will eventually become allotments.

Some new animals have arrived. A highland cow, stag and doe, another donkey and an alpaca. All from the Dart Castings range and painted by Sarah.

I now have 4 of the Accurascale Mk2b and Mk2c coaches in NSE livery. Currently in a mixed rake with Bachmann Mk2a coaches which they go together well enough with apart from the different roof colour. The detailing on these coaches is superb.

I only saw a few class 81s on a couple of visits to Euston but I’ve always liked the original AC electrics and have wanted to model an 81 alongside my RTR 85, 86 and 87 models. I found that CMAC make a 3D print of the 81 (amongst others) that can be purchased via eBay. I used this with a donor Bachmann class 85 to make a working class 81. This blog summarises how I did it.

What you get in the kit, with the key parts from the donor 85 alongside:

The chassis block needs openings for the working bogies. These were opened out by chain drilling and then filing to match the profile of the class 85 chassis. This was then attached to the chassis block using bolts and epoxy glue, having fitted the motor into the block first.

The 3D printed bogie sides come with a centre bearing. This was removed and the centre was opened out to be a good fit to the bachmann bogie gear towers. The gear towers were then attached to the chassis block, with the cardan shafts connected to the motor. With the chassis upside down the sides were glued with epoxy to the gear towers and spacers were placed to ensure they dried in the right location.

The mechanism was tested at various stages through this process. Once the sides were dry and everything was working and wired back up plasticard was used to add some basic protection to the bottom of the gears. With the chassis completed the body was cleaned up and painted. BR blue is a fairly simple livery to do. The lights were drilled out to accept LEDs. The marker lights are with hindsight a little too large.

With the body painted and wired it was time to put the body and chassis back together. The cab interiors fitted well, held in place with some black tack. However there was a lug each side of the chassis block designed to support the cabs that stuck out too far and clashed with the new body. All 4 of these lugs had to be cut back with a dremel. It’s a shame I didn’t spot this earlier, as it required some disassembly to do it.

Glazing is a mixture of clear plastic and re-using the class 85 windows. The pantograph is from the class 85. The body and chassis are held together with black tack and spot of Evostick. Final details were added and the loco went into service after running in.

Conclusion: It runs well and looks like a class 81, giving me an unusual model not available elsewhere. I don’t like the fine lines you get with 3D printing and even after several goes at filing, sanding and priming they are still visible if you look closely, but from normal viewing distances it’s a good looking model of an 81. I should have used smaller LEDs for the red marker lights instead of the 2mm ones I had in stock.

The EFE Models ‘YOB’ crane is a superb model. I know there have been complaints about it not being moveable but it just looks the part sat in an engineering train in a siding. A little bit of weathering finishes it off nicely.

I exhibited Badgers Mount at the Spa Valley Railway model railway exhibition back in September 2024. Alongside was Jonnie Pay’s ‘Paystow’ O gauge layout. I have a very small amount of O gauge stock that usually sits on a shelf and my 08 shunter and VEA van were able to make a brief appearance.

I enjoy making wagon kits and modifying RTR wagons for something a bit different. Everything is weathered to a common pallete. It can be great fun updating an old wagon and it’s possible to get them looking good alongside newer finer detailed wagons with a bit of care. Here’s a selection…

Just finished a Cambrian kit of a YGV Walrus ballast hopper. It went together OK despite the instructions being almost impossible to follow. I chose to retain the hand wheels from the kit on this build. It sits quite happily alongside Hornby and Bachmann Sealions.

The EFE Pacer in provincial livery reminds me of a trip on the Settle Carlisle when I was very young. We found a then brand new Pacer at Carlisle. I thought the model as supplied was a bit too ‘plasticy’ so have toned the roof down with some weathering.