Today on the South Buckinghamshire Light Railway

[Martino]

Lovely sunny fall day here in Northwest Florida. Clear blue sky and temps in the mid/high 70s F. A good day for running a train or two I thought. However I've never seen so many acorns and it's like the blitz out there with the things pinging down all over the place and getting on the track and in my coffee. Any way, here's some photos....

Number 21 takes a single brake compo down the branch.

Freight stock waiting in the loop at Farnham Common

Someone needs to put a lamp on that.

21 brings the coach into the station

The, now, mixed train heads off.

The toad clearing the loop

The whole train passing across the viaduct

 

[Martino]

Heading round the curve off towards Burnham

Did you ever see so many acorns?

Time for a beer I think.......

 

[PaulRhB]

Very nice,

 

[yb281]

Excellent.

 

[KandNWLR]

Like this a lot! Climate seems good too!

 

[Martino]

The climate is good, but the weather today, not so! Yesterday was very nice so had a good clean up and ran trains. Was hopping to day would be the same, but heavy rain last night and although it's in the 70s today to it's grey, damp and misty. A sea mist. So, unless it burns off this afternoon, it's a workshop day.

I'm building a sort of narrow gauge, 4 wheeled 'siphon', or milk churn van. This is the first I've done completly of styrene. Nearly finished the basic structure and need to get it painted before tackling the roof and under frame. I know I should wash it before painting, and read that this should be soapy water. What do you folks use? Washing up liquid or actual soap?

Also, I need some conical milk churns. GRS do them but they're $12 for two. I don't have a problem with that if they were on display, but these will be inside the van, so I'm looking for a cheaper solution as I'm going need a good dozen. Any ideas?

 

[Martino]

Also been working on my Peckett. This is a GRS kit which will be going on a Stainz chassis, fitted with cylinders and valve gear off a Bachmann Lyn. Axel at Train-Li USA is working on the chip and sound for this, as I managed to foul it up by shorting out the chip!

This is the boiler and cab. Waiting on the chassis to come back before I start paining and assembling.

In the background is a Lyn body that will form the basis for a new loco to be built on an LGB 2080 0-6-0 chassis. Probably will be a 2-6-2 tank with outside valve gear and possibly looking a bit VoR - ish.

 

[yb281]

I've used the milk churns made by these guys Martin;

http://trenarrenmodels.co.uk/

Go for the unpainted ones, they're much cheaper and someone with your skills will have no probs painting them (there's a photo of mine in a L & B wagon in the gallery section of the above site). They're not absolutely like I remember them, but would look fine in your Siphon. I REALLY like that BTW. I could do with making a gauge 3 version of one of them.

For cleaning prior to painting, I use washing up liquid.

Looking forward to seeing how the locos turn out too.

 

[Martino]

Thank you very much, Mel.

 

[Gizzy]

Nice work Martin!

For milk churns, I've used some of those pro-biotic low chloresterol yoghurt drink pots, painted silver.

Well some good of Mizzy's plans for our health had to come of it....

 

[Martino]

No, the fog is getting thicker and the trees are just dripping, so running today!

Here's the new girder bridge put in yesterday. Made out of yard signs (the stuff that politicians leave up after elections - it's election year, so there will be huge supply later!). This replaces a wooden one that is in for repair. The weather got to it a bit, but then so did the new puppy, who likes walking across bridges. At 27lbs an counting, he's more than my civil engineering was designed for.

The bridge in the foreground has also suffered under Jack's weight, so that's up for repair in the spring too.

Lastly, finished off a repaint and weathering job on a Bachmann gondola picked up in a junk store with 4 metal wheeled bogies and a non working Bachmann 0-4-0, all for $20. The metal wheels have found good use, the gondola became a L&B look alike, and the 0-4-0 returned to Bachmann for repair. They couldn't fix it so sent a new Baldwin 2-4-2 instead. That's being chipped and sound-ified at the moment.

 

[Martino]

Nice work Martin!

For milk churns, I've used some of those pro-biotic low chloresterol yoghurt drink pots, painted silver.

Well some good of Mizzy's plans for our health had to come of it....

Good thought Gizzy, thank you. Off to the store then....

 

[Martino]

Well, finally the sun did burn through, but it was mighty damp and after last night rain, there was all sorts of grot on the tracks. Ran a few trains into the dusk and finally left the 'Bobby' to shut down the box......

 

[Martino]

Today was clear and bright and it was in the high 60s F. It maybe the end of January, but things are blooming and budding in the garden, so maybe spring is on its way.
A quick clear round and we ran some trains.

Enough of the tulip tree, on with the trains.
Number 21, now names 'Kenneth M Owen MIBF' after my late father, brings a goods up from Datchet.

Just to show there's more than just tulip trees in bloom.

Coming across the new girder bridge into Farnham Common.

Heading out towards Hedgerley and Gerrards Cross

Having been to Gerrards Cross and running round the train, 21 heads back towards Farnham Common.

 

[Martino]

Heading over the wooden bridge out of Farnham Common, on the branch to Beaconsfield.

Taking the curve round Huntswood Farm, en route to Beaconsfield.

 

[yb281]

Looks lovely Martin. Great to see your railway in action again.

 

[GlenF]

Looks great. Snowing up here in Michigan today, I envy you!

Would love to see more pics of your Peckett construction, thinking of getting one of those kits myself from GRS.

Glen

 

[Martino]

Ee Sure Glen.
 
I currently held up as the chassis off being chipped and provided with sound. I can't complete the superstructure until I know what I have to put where!
 
It's a nice kit.
This is the backhead detail and cab floor, awaiting detailed painting.

I cut a handbrake bulge in the cab back, which quite a number of prototype Pecketts apparently had.

The other change to the kit so far is that I've used a piece of brass tube for the funnel instead of the whitemetal pieces supplied.

 
More photos as I progress.....

 

[GlenF]

Thanks for uploading those pics, very interesting. Yes it certainly looks like a nice kit. I'm seriously thinking about getting one now.

I'd love to see more pics as you progress further.

Cheers, Glen

 

[Martino]

Fresh out of the paint shop and ready for a new season, the new pride of the SBLR is number 1929 'General Kelly H Burke'.

This is new Bachmann Baldwin, the US version that came black with red cab roof, windows etc. Been repainted into Somerset & Dorset Joint Prussian blue with red pinstripes. The smokebox door has been replaced by a 'Lyn' smoke box front. Number and name plates (named for my Father in Law) from GRS. Also fitted with brass lamp irons, cobbled together by me. The big US style headlamp was removed and replaced with a GRS whitemetal lamp, with the original LED inside. Other lamps and vacuum pipes are GRS. Transfers from Stan Cedarleaf. The loco is fitted with a Zimo sound decoder and upgraded speaker - installed by Axel Tillman at Train Li USA. It runs and sounds really nice.

A few other bits and bobs to add, but otherwise ready to go into service.