Captain Kernow's layouts

Captain Kernow

Western Thunderer
Well, as I mentioned in Rob Gunstone's thread recently, I ordered some code 40 rail, with the intention of producing my own 009 track and pointwork.

Having said that, in order to test my Sirdar loco the other day, I had to go down to the nearby model (& touristy tat) show at the South Devon Railway in Buckfastleigh and buy a metre of Peco 009 track, purely for testing, not for a layout. However, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a metre of good-looking NG track with regular sized sleepers and spacing. Pity they don't do points to match, I would be tempted.

Anyway, the rail and fishplates have now arrived (from British Finescale), but I realised that I didn't have the right size of copper clad sleepers, so I'll be calling Marcway in Sheffield this morning to place an order for some.
 

Captain Kernow

Western Thunderer
Here are three panniers I have acquired.

The 2721 (2776) is a heavily modified and improved Hornby body on a Bachmann 57XX chassis. The loco in this image is in P4 and the work was done by the late Chris McCarthy. I bought the loco from his estate at Scaleforum last year.

The heavily weathered 8750 (3751) is a Bachmann one, nicely detailed and weathered. I bought this via Tony Wright and Graham Nicholas from the Peter Lawson collection a year or so ago.

The GW liveried one (with erroneous number applied by Bachmann - 8715 is for a low cab 57XX) features a new body that I must have bought some time ago, on a slightly more recently acquired chassis.

I don't need a 2721 in P4, but I would like one in OO, for the GW era operating sequence on Bethesda. I have always planned for 3751 to be converted to P4.

The Bachmann chassis (with Ultrascale P4 wheels) under 2776 had been modified, in order to fit the Hornby body, but was still a straight fit to the body of 3751.

The chassis under 3751 has been nicely weathered and I didn't want to start grinding mazak from that, so conceived the idea of a 3-way swap. The chassis from '8715' could have some mazak removed and go under 2776. The chassis from 2776 could be installed under 3751 and the weathered OO chassis from 3751 could go under '8715', thus saving me a job:
20260730_141234.jpg.09389dd2fb25157591e2183fbd510731.jpg

In the end, it was all a lot easier than I had at first thought!

Bachmann had changed the design of the chassis, so that the more modern one under '8715' needed virtually no modification, other than the removal of the two pips that hold the backhead moulding in place:
20260730_141744.jpg.831dc972246cfede8f665ad3011e4ac8.jpg

A pair of Xurons made quick work of those and the 2721 body then fitted just fine.

So all locos now have their new chassis in place:
20260730_150400.jpg.2b0b60ca513b4585e6a6306a150d110a.jpg

The next tasks will be to add additional detail to 3751 and '8715' (including finding a more suitable identity for the latter), such as sandbox operating rods lamp irons etc. Some of the detailing on 2776 also needs repair and buffers fitting. Then it's a case of whatever painting and weathering remains required.

This may or may not happen quickly. I'm waiting for some copper clad sleepers to building some 009 track with Code 40 rail. This will be going on my new OO cameo 'Brynllefrith', more of which anon.
 
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