P4 New Street

Jim smith-wright

Western Thunderer
As you may be aware my friend Phil has taken over the wagon bits and kits side of Colin Criag's useful range and set up Stenson models. Its hoped this will grant Colin more time to develop stuff as well as new things Phil wants to develop himself.
HEA-step.jpg

One of the new bits is this rather handy etch for the HEA steps. Phil has used some good thinking in the design ensuring that the end result has a neat and robust way of actually attaching to the wagon (some purveyors of etched bits take note). The same steps were found on the MEA and MFA wagons too. One down 17 to go!

http://www.stensonmodels.co.uk
HEA / MEA / MFA Footsteps 4mm – SM19D
 

AJC

Western Thunderer
I had no idea that Colin Craig's bits had been passed on (though now I know, I'm pleased to have found out!). I share your prejudice for proper mechanical fixings for such things; it's always better to do the job, properly, once, than have to come back and repair the things later...

Adam
 
Last edited:

dj_crisp

Member
I've had some excellent stuff from Stenson models and am thinking of trying some of their sprung bogies out. Those steps do look great
 

Jim smith-wright

Western Thunderer
motorail-GUVs.jpg

A long time ago now I started work on 3 motorail coaches for New Street. The motorail train at 15 coaches will be the longest on the layout. The first coach was relatively easy (the blue and grey one in the picture) but the blue ones stalled because I wanted to do the ones that had Mk1 style divided windows. I got as far as drawing up and etch but never got it actually produced. However Brian of Extreme etches has done a set of window frames for the BG coach and these are the same so i can finally tick these 2 off as well. Some standard GUVs had these windows too so ill be doing some of those as well.
 

Jim smith-wright

Western Thunderer
ford-cargos.jpg

Been tweaking a few more road vehicles starting with fitting better wheels (from RTI) to a couple of old cargos. The WH Smiths lorry seems to draw a lot of attention at shows and for many people sets a time and place quite specifically.

oxford-cars-april-2020.jpg

Next up another little batch from Oxford diecast waiting form my usual treatment...

tweaked-oxford-cars-april-2020.jpg

... which is to paint the inside of the window apertures and wheel arches black and a quick spray of matt varnish before some gentle weathering. I might see if i can get some more standard looking wheels for the Land Rover.

tweaked-volvo.jpg

The Volvo (760) required a bit more effort as out of the box (on the right) it did not capture the look of the real thing very well at all. The solution was to file the windows so that they are much deeper. I enlarged the windows of the Rover 3500 too but not by anything like as much. Wing mirrors are just a bit of microstrip.
 

Scale7JB

Western Thunderer
I was in my very early years during the 80's, but the WHSmith van still evokes great memories of being with my dad on a Saturday afternoon, parking on York Way outside Kings+ station (can't do that anymore) and train spotting, after a day shopping at Beatties in Holborn, and MotorBooks just off Charing Cross Road. Can't do either of those anymore either...

Also recall the US railways modelshop on Pentonville Road.

Does anyone recall the model shop by the side entrance to The Cross on York Way? It was on its last legs when we used to go in the late 80's..

JB.
 

Wagonman

Western Thunderer
I was in my very early years during the 80's, but the WHSmith van still evokes great memories of being with my dad on a Saturday afternoon, parking on York Way outside Kings+ station (can't do that anymore) and train spotting, after a day shopping at Beatties in Holborn, and MotorBooks just off Charing Cross Road. Can't do either of those anymore either...

Also recall the US railways modelshop on Pentonville Road.

Does anyone recall the model shop by the side entrance to The Cross on York Way? It was on its last legs when we used to go in the late 80's..

JB.

It was called the Model Shop or Kings Cross Models I think. At 14 York Way. They had a connection with EAMES in Reading and of course produced their famous range of etched plates some of which are still sitting in my spares box...

The American place up the Pentonville Road was Victors and it was just a hop and a skip from Keen House which then housed the HMRS library as well as the venerable MRC. Ah, memories...
 

dibateg

Western Thunderer
Yes I recall Kings Cross models - I bought one of my first kits from there, a 4mm scale Bristol Models B1. It was so bad - I never managed to build it! Later I worked in Reading and used to call into Eames there, out back was like an Aladdin's cave!

Sorry for the diversion Jim.
Tony
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Out of curiosity. What made it so bad?
It leaked. All over. Bodywork was crap. Shut lines were very poor.

One day it just stopped. The garage stripped it and could find nothing wrong so put it back together. It then worked but cost me a fortune.

I sold it on after six months.

Mind you, I had a fuel injection Volvo 264 where the fuel evaporated on the way to the engine due to the fuel line running next to the exhaust pipe..... That was solved but demonstrates that the UK was not alone in producing cars which could be, let's say, suspect.

Having said which I've had some good cars too. Started as an 18 year old with a ten year old Ford Consul Mk 1, then a Rover 90. Both were great. A Honda S800 (my first sports car) - wonderful car but a real clever box of tricks. A Triumph 1300 which was a lovely small car but suffered body rot on the inside wings which had to be replaced after failing its MOT and was then sold on. Two Mark 3 Ford Cortinas and a Mark 4 - all good. Then a succession of less interesting business cars. Most recently I've had a succession of Jaguars - three S types, two of which did 120 K miles without a stutter followed by a Mercedes CLS - competent and reliable but boring and currently a Jag XK which I've now owned for eleven years (it was a retirement present to myself) and remains a constant source of joy. Makes me smile every time I get in the driving seat. So in reality very few of my cars have been less than good.

One day I'll have to list all the cars I've owned - for my own interest.

Sorry, Jim. I've diverted the discussion yet again but once I started to think about my old cars.............

Brian
 

Overseer

Western Thunderer
Been tweaking a few more road vehicles starting with fitting better wheels (from RTI) to a couple of old cargos. The WH Smiths lorry seems to draw a lot of attention at shows and for many people sets a time and place quite specifically.


Next up another little batch from Oxford diecast waiting form my usual treatment...


... which is to paint the inside of the window apertures and wheel arches black and a quick spray of matt varnish before some gentle weathering. I might see if i can get some more standard looking wheels for the Land Rover.


The Volvo (760) required a bit more effort as out of the box (on the right) it did not capture the look of the real thing very well at all. The solution was to file the windows so that they are much deeper. I enlarged the windows of the Rover 3500 too but not by anything like as much. Wing mirrors are just a bit of microstrip.
Don't spend too much time on the Landy, the lump on the bonnet means it has a Ford engine so is a Puma built between 2007 and 2016. Not a great representation either.
 

Jim smith-wright

Western Thunderer
Of the 3 cars i did last time the Land Rover defender was the easiest. That's before I encountered the phenomenon of the Land Rover enthusiast. At least as bad as the VW enthusiasts and enough to give the most ardent P4 modeller a run for their money I was (in a very polite way and from several sources) informed that it was wrong as in a too late version.

brendans-land-rover.jpg


Friend and fellow Calcutta Sidings operator Brendan supplied the above image of (one of) his. Turns out the Oxford one is a ford engined one and you can tell by the different bonnet shape (not sure why i didn't notice this). These were introduced in 2007. Also Brendan's didn't have a sunroof and the roof ribs were different.

revised-land-rover.jpg


So the bonnet 'hump' was ground down and the new raised bits added from 5 thou plasticard. The sunroof was filed and new ribs added from microstrip. The wheels came from a RAC version again from Oxford Diecast.
 

Lancastrian

Western Thunderer
It leaked. All over. Bodywork was crap. Shut lines were very poor.

One day it just stopped. The garage stripped it and could find nothing wrong so put it back together. It then worked but cost me a fortune.

I sold it on after six months.

Mind you, I had a fuel injection Volvo 264 where the fuel evaporated on the way to the engine due to the fuel line running next to the exhaust pipe..... That was solved but demonstrates that the UK was not alone in producing cars which could be, let's say, suspect.

Having said which I've had some good cars too. Started as an 18 year old with a ten year old Ford Consul Mk 1, then a Rover 90. Both were great. A Honda S800 (my first sports car) - wonderful car but a real clever box of tricks. A Triumph 1300 which was a lovely small car but suffered body rot on the inside wings which had to be replaced after failing its MOT and was then sold on. Two Mark 3 Ford Cortinas and a Mark 4 - all good. Then a succession of less interesting business cars. Most recently I've had a succession of Jaguars - three S types, two of which did 120 K miles without a stutter followed by a Mercedes CLS - competent and reliable but boring and currently a Jag XK which I've now owned for eleven years (it was a retirement present to myself) and remains a constant source of joy. Makes me smile every time I get in the driving seat. So in reality very few of my cars have been less than good.

One day I'll have to list all the cars I've owned - for my own interest.

Sorry, Jim. I've diverted the discussion yet again but once I started to think about my old cars.............

Brian

Twelve year old Ford Focus ST225, modified to 320BHP from 96 miles (day 1), now running over 350BHP at 238000 miles. Same smile every day I drive it.

Ian
 

Overseer

Western Thunderer
Of the 3 cars i did last time the Land Rover defender was the easiest. That's before I encountered the phenomenon of the Land Rover enthusiast. At least as bad as the VW enthusiasts and enough to give the most ardent P4 modeller a run for their money I was (in a very polite way and from several sources) informed that it was wrong as in a too late version.



Friend and fellow Calcutta Sidings operator Brendan supplied the above image of (one of) his. Turns out the Oxford one is a ford engined one and you can tell by the different bonnet shape (not sure why i didn't notice this). These were introduced in 2007. Also Brendan's didn't have a sunroof and the roof ribs were different.



So the bonnet 'hump' was ground down and the new raised bits added from 5 thou plasticard. The sunroof was filed and new ribs added from microstrip. The wheels came from a RAC version again from Oxford Diecast.
Good save, now it is in period. If anybody asks about the protruding radiator grill just tell them it has air conditioning fitted. Maybe not an option available in 1986 but could have been added. Funny you should mention VWs. My first car was a 1964 beetle inherited in far from good condition, and I still have it but not on the road. Rebuilding VW engines is a pleasure, everything is so logically designed, goes for the whole car really, unlike my first Landrover (1968 Series IIa) which barely had two bolts the same in it and the bits had obviously come from different places. Great fun off road though. The 90 and 110 Landrovers are much better, with metric bolts throughout.
 
Top