SJM Locomotive Works

Its been some time since i posted about my little layout I have been working on Irwell street.

Between working on the real railway & a number of family illnesses the layout hasn't had much work done to it.

I got to a point with it where it was in need of the wiring finishing & the traverser building.

I completed the wiring last sunday & got all the point motors installed & wired up.

The traverser has been the thing I have been putting off the longest. I have never really built one before on my own & so I put it on the back burner for a long time.

I did cut some wood last week but it ended a total disaster. I couldnt cut the wood straight enough for 2 identical pieces. I took the plunge & went to the timber merchant this morning & got some bits cut. Im going to glue them together this evening & get the timberwork ready for instalation tomorrow all being well.

Once the traverser is installed i can finish the last bit of tracklaying & then I can crack on with finishing all the scenic elements of the layout.

I have been working on the real railways a lot recently pouring concrete for the Transpennine upgrades. As a result the model railway has been on the back burner.

I did however have a little session on the Metro 3rd brake. I finished off the 2nd footboard & got the vac pipes fitted. I also bent up a piece of wire for the handrail thats to be fitted to the step end of the coach.

The other 3 kits have turned up & the wheels. Im hoping to get those into a production line this next week. This coach has a few final details to be added which i might wait to add until I am at the part with the other 3.

These kits from Roxey Mouldings are a really nice model that go together relatively well.

I will keep you posted as they progress.

I spent the morning adding some details to the kit.

I dont usually fully follow instructions. I have made enough brass kits to know what goes where. I only refer to them if I get stuck.

I decided to tackle the door hinges first. 10 pieces of brass strip woth a half etched fold on one end. No problem at all I thought, wrong!!!

For some strange reason my kit has only 1 set of holes etched for the door hinges. I hadnt noticed until I came to the second lot.

I had to come up with a way of making 5 mini slot holes in the hinge sections of the door. I split a peg firstly to use as a surface in which the blade of a compass cutter could land once it had pierced the thin brass body. It also helps the brass from distortion.

I used a ruler to lay the blade against & slowly worked my way through the brass by wiggling the cutter too & frow.

My holes worked better than the etched ones because mine were precise rather that oversized.

When I finished that off I added 4 ventaltors to the doors. The instructions advise to add all this before assembly, I have never liked that method of construction. I need another 3 of these coaches so maybe I might add some parts before assembly next time.

Apart from these small issues the kit has gone together well.

Its been a while since I picked a soldering iron up & made something.

I decided to start with something relatively easy to build. Its a roxey mouldings GWR metro brake 3rd coach.

Its built to P4 standards & this is how we are looking after 3 hours. Not a bad little kit at all. Everything fits well & so far it hasn't been any issue to build. The only modification I have had to add is a slither of solder along the compensation rocking arm. The coach looked at little low on one end.

Its been a pleasant evening making the kit & i am looking forward to putting some more to it tomorrow morning.

A few layout snaps. Scenic section is 4ft 6inch with a traverser ( yet to be built ) off camera.

Dcc powered including turnout control.

Feel free to ask any questions.

Currently i am making a 00 gauge layout in the workshop & these are a few of the bits I have been working on recently. They are a mix of kits & scratch build buildings to fit around the layout.

Next up is a half relief mill that'll be made from plasticard & laser cut windows.

I still have loads to do but I would like the layout to be to a good stage of completeness before summers out as I have something a little bigger planned once im done with this.

Any questions please feel free to ask away.

After picking up the Bachmann Midland 1532 loco i treated myself on my birthday to one of the revolution coaches from rapido trains. Whilst this coach is generic I personally think its the best rtr coach I have seen. The model is super detailed inside & out. They are well worth the £63 price tag. I have ordered another to make a small train up of them.

I am currently constructing a new layout for in the workshop. Its a 00 gauge layout based on the ex lanky lines around Bury.

I have been working today on a fair priced models terrace house kit.

Now for a tenner they are excellent value for money. They are laser cut mdf & are very comprehensive for such a cheap kit. They dont come with any stones or bricks lasered to the surface, you clad it in whatever you want. I used some south eastern fine cast embossed brick plasticard & some slate sheet i had kicking around.

The models still not finished as I need to make some brick walls to make the back yard & the chimneys need making & fitting plus other details.

The layout still has a long way to go but it is getting there slowly.

I have just purchased this model from Bachmann. Its a Midland 1532 class in Midland livery & the finish is stunning.

It just reminded me of a friend of my who passed away a couple of years ago. He was a member of the model railway group im a part of & we used to talk about pre grouping railways.

He used to tell us a story of when he was a young lad & he saw the last LNWR claughton in Manchester exchange station resplendent in LMS crimson livery. He also noted it was very free steaming & in good condition.

He also remembered these locos running up & down the Worth valley line in both LMS & BR livery.

I am sure he would have loved all these pregrouping models that the rtr manufactures are producing especially as he was a fan of the Midland & LMS.

Thanks for the memories & stories, you won't be forgotten Harry Bancroft.

Plodding along at a leisurely pace & I arrive at this moment of the build.

Always exciting to get a real glimpse into what your trying to achieve.

Its a really nice model kit from www.brassmasters.co.uk, the instructions sometimes are a bit of a battle, overall though the fit is perfect.