July 2009


Ok, as usual it has been a little longer than I intended since the last update, and (remarkably) this is not because nothing has been going on - I actually have a backlog of stories to catch up on. So be warned, this is a long update...

A couple of small projects did get completed over the winter, before my exams kicked in. Firstly, the new Rutton signalbox was given a facelift; the full story is told on
this page on the Garden Railway Forum. Secondly, K2 has finally been fitted with proper couplings, to allow her to be used on a regular basis. This was a diffiuclt task, as her balsa bodywork was simply too flimsy to support couplings, so slightly thicker pieces of wood have had to be added the the ends of the wagon.

With exams over, however, Rutton workshops have got into full swing. I decided to start by tidying up a couple of loose ends in the scenic department. As reported in the last update (!) the new Box End station was finally finished last year, but unfortunately, the nameboard would not stay glued to the platform. Secretly, I'd had a feeling all along that this might happen, so as the board won't stand alone I decided to make a small flowerbed for it to stand in, which would support it at the base. Sounds simple enough, but how does one make scale flowers? After all, one of the joys of garden railways is that one can usually use real vegetation! In the end, I made them from paper; I used slightly scrunched-up pieces painted green to form the leaves, then cut rough petal-shapes and glued them on top. They don't really bear close scrutiny, but since they will usually be viewed from a distance I feel it is the overall impression that matters...

Furthermore, as Rutton signalbox now has a correct nameboard, Rose Halt was left as the only station that did not display its name. I felt this omission ought to be rectified, so at the 2009 Stoneleigh show  I purchased a Coopercraft name board kit (not having enough letters in stock to scratchbuild one). The kit can be built in either wooden or concrete styles; I chose the Southern Railway concrete style, as used on the Lynton & Barnstaple, simply because I happen to like it. But of course, the MVR is (in theory) a GWR narrow gauge line, so it has been painted chocolate and cream! Personally I think it looks good, and perhaps I can say that, in BR days, the board was moved to the station from the SR and relettered. (I can think of at least one precedent for this: after Medstead & Four Marks station, now on the Mid-Hants Railway, closed, replacement wooden lettering fell away from the nameboard to reveal that it had originally come from Axminster...)

With the nameboards completed, attention has now turned to a larger project. Over the last few years the MVR has built up a good collection of wagons, supplemented by three on long-term loan. However, the passenger stock is not in such a good position. B1 has always been a little too tight on our sharpest curves, but lately - heaven knows why - she has become even more troublesome. In fact it is now rare for her to complete a circuit without derailing which is, frankly, useless. The LGB coaches continue to be reliable performers, and their usefulness has been increased by the fact that I have finally adapted them to take chain-link couplings. (This was done by the simple expedient of drilling a hole into each of their dummy plastic centre-buffers and insterting a piece of brass wire - why did it take me ten years to think of that?!) However, I am not quite so keen on them because they are not British outline, and whilst I have nothing against foreign stock in principle I am really aiming for a British rural railway atmosphere on the MVR. So, what was to be done? I have never been completely happy with B1, constructed when my kitbuilding skills were not very advanced. The idea occured to me that if I were to replace her with a brand new Wisbech & Upwell bogie coach, I could then "kitbash" her to represent the four-wheel W&U coaches. This would cope better with the curves and give the MVR a pair of coaches unique on the SM45. However, two factors dashed this plan: firstly, I could not afford a new bogie coach, and secondly, the arrangement of windows and panels on the bodyside of the bogie coach is such that it cannot simply be shortened to produce the bogie version, at least not if one wanted a fairly prototypical result. Nevertheless, I was keen on the idea on having a coach of a similar profile to B1, which is currently the odd-one-out of our coach fleet. At this point, my thoughts turned to B2, the bogie coach we acquired with Lyn last year...

Since I have never described this coach in detail on these pages before, I should perhaps do so now. It was kitbashed by its former owner from a Bachmann US-style bogie vehicle (examples of this genre visited us from the Woodrow Light Railway this year for our January gala), but was reduced to gauge 1 (10mm scale) proportions. Furthermore, the butchered bodywork was extremely flimsy. So, though quite an attractive vehicle, it was going to have to be heavily rebuilt, and the small proportions of the bodywork meant that it would be difficult to incorporate any of it into a proper narrow-gauge vehicle. So, a new body it would have to be. I had toyed with various ideas for this, including the concept of a central entrance instead of end balconies (think Corris Railway coaches), but now I decided to go for an end-balcony style with dimensions following B1 as closely as possible, though shorter to cope better with the curves. It will also ride slightly higher due to the Bachmann bogies it is mounted on, but these run beautifully so that is a price I am willing to pay!

Construction got off to a good start. The old body was dismantled and the frames were then cut down the middle to allow them to be shortened. Then, a layer of new plasticard was glued on top, to connect the two halves of the old chassis and provide the extra width needed for the new body. The ends have also been cut from plasticard. However, as so often happens with MVR projects, we have now hit a stumbling block...I purchased some Welshpool & Llanfair-style balcony railings from GRS specially for the new coach, but as with all GRS kits the downside is the instructions...there aren't any. So, I'm not sure how I'm supposed to assemble them and can't really start on the bodysides until I do (because I need to know precisely how long he balconies will be. So here's a picture, and if you can work out how to put them together please drop us a line at mvrailway@msn.com !



Photos of our other recent projects can be found in the photo gallery.

July 2008

Well, what a difference a few months can make. With exams over and the upcoming open day (see Home and Community pages) providing an incentive, we seem to have achieved more in the workshop in the past month than we have in the last two years! Here's a run-though of what we've been working on recently:

• Box End station is finished! Well, as finished as it's ever going to be. After struggling long and hard with the extremley fiddly clocktower, I unpacked the pieces for the canopy only to discover that the top piece seems to be the wrong size, and there were no supports included. I could have found ways round these problems but by now I was eager to just get the project finished (it has been cluttering up my bedroom floor for two years!), so I simply left the canopy off. The passengers will just have to retreat indoors to the waiting room if it starts to rain..
• The Lynton & Barnstaple water column, which I gave up on in despair back in 2006, is also finished.  Back then, I was having trouble getting the heavy whitemetal pieces to not overbalance or come apart whilst the glue dried, but with the experience gained from building Box End's clocktower, which was similarly tricky, I decided to have another go. THis time it worked, and the column now has a proud place at the end of Box End's platform. The nameboard I made back in January 2007 has also been affixed to the platform, and a Perfect World choclate machine purchased at Stonleigh in 2007 has also been painted, but it still needs some transfers to be applied before it can take its place at the station.
  
• I've also been tidying up a few other odds and ends. Rose Halt's platform shelter has been repaired after the roof fell off at the end of last summer, and will now stay in the garden for the rest of the summer. Lyn has had her name and numberplates fitted, though the couplings still need to be changed. I have also made a start on painting the G-scale figures I bought in January 2007, though I think it may still be some time before they can take their place in the garden. Finally, the mysteriously vanished "level crossing" sign has been replaced with a "whistle" sign; this time, it has been glued in place, so will hopefully stay put!

There now; that was worth waiting for, wasn't it? However, there is always more to be done. One incident I have not yet mentioned was a drailment back in March, which saw most of my freight wagons fall off the railway's raised trackbed - never a good thing! U1 lost her roof, K1 lost an LGB coupling and W2 lost a wheelset. The first two were reapired in time for the open day, but one of W2's axlebox bearings is now lost forever in the undergrowth, so she remains out of traffic until I can get a replacement. K2 also still needs new couplings, and then I want to start work on rebuilding our new bogie coach B2...

Anyway, here's a shot of the completed station at Box End. Personally, I'm rather proud of it...

February 2008


Well sadly, progress over the winter has been dissapointing to say the least! W2 is now fully painted, so that's one job done, but although B1 was repaired she managed to break the same bogie at the same join again during the New Year's Gala! Clearly Loctite was not the solution - perhaps I'll have a go at soldering it this time.

Box End station is no further forward, and Rose Halt also now needs work as the roof has fallen off! I expect this is a consequence of it being carried in and out of the house so often, so it will stay outside permanantly once repaired.

K2 is also in need of work as the wooden couplings, as expected, are starting to disintegrate. However, I'm not sure how I'm going to incorporate bufferbeams that will allow the buffers to be fixed at the correct height - and I don't know how I'm going to attach the buffers without removing the roof, which probably can't be done without damaging it beyond repair.

The trouble is, I just don't have time to deal with all these problems - schoolwork keeps me fully occupied during the term and even my holidays are now very busy. Still, perhaps I can have a blitz on some of it over Easter.

Update 17/2: shortly after I wrote the above, a rather unusual accident befell Blackbird. As reported on the home page, I've cleaned up the track and tested the electrical supply with Albatross over the last few weeks in preperation for the arrival of our new loco, Lyn. Whilst I was rummaging in my cupboard for my transformer, however, I managed to knock U1 on top of No. 3 and broke her chimney off! Fortunately, the break was a clean one, so with a dab of poly cement and a lick of paint round the join all was well. Just to prove that things do occasionally get fixed in our workshop...!

August 2007

The summer months are usually the quietest in the workshop, as it's the best time of year to be out in the garden running trains! However, the summer holidays are sadly drawing to a close, so the time has come to take stock of the work that needs to be tackled over the winter.

I told you there'd be an April update, didn't I? After the success of the Stoneleigh show at the end of March, things moved quickly during the Easter holidays...
K2 was re-gauged the day after the show and made its first trial runs the day after that. I was satisfied with her running overall, although my suspicions that she ideally needs more weight were confirmed. The wooden couplings sje is fitted with are not really satisfactory either, and will be replaced with IP ones when I have time.
W2 finally recieved her bolster on the 10th of April, courtesy of the Woodrow Light Railway, who made the parts for her sister W1. With all the other necesaary parts purchased at Stoneleigh, we were able to complete the wagon very quickly, and it made it's first test runs the very next day. These were completely sucessful - unsurprisingly, since the design has already been proven by W1 - and it is now in traffic, although it still needs to be painted.
Box End Station was the other beneficiary of out visit to the WLR on the 10th April (see also the Community page), as we were able to use a file from their well-equipped workshops to sort out the roof panels. These have now been fitted to the building; the next stage will be to paint and fit the roof details, including the chimneys and clock tower.
I also made an attempt to improve the lineside scenery this month, by installing a "level crossing" sign (one of several lineside signs given to me for my Birthday last year) between Rutton and Box End, at the point where the railway crosses the steps from the patio to the lawn. Infuriatingly, it mysteriously disappeared a few days later! I'm at a complete loss as to who took it - the only thing I can think of is that it might have been a magpie. It looks like I'll have to find a more secure method of fixing the signs in place before I put any more out.
But apart from this sad episode, it has been a good month in the Workshop. Unfortunately, the holidays were over all to soon, and with my first exams less than a month away I've suspended all workshop projects until my GCSEs are over, so this will be the last update to this page for a while. For now, I'll leave you with this picture of a train to Box End sawmill, with K2 at the front of the rake and W2 at the rear...

March 2007


After the optimism of January's report, February turned out to be another quiet month. I had a lot of homework to do in the last full half-term before my GCSEs begin, and I did not have the neccessary materials to continue with any of the projects reported on last month: I could not continue with the station building due to the lack of a file, the figures could not be painted as I do not have any flesh-coloured paints, and I still need to be shown how to make the bolster for W2.
However, the annual Stoneleigh show was beautifully timed to coincide with the first day of the easter holidays...and having been saving up for some months I was able to tick off a long shopping list, and inevitably ended up buying some other items as well!
I brought numerous small items from the various traders - a set  of IP wheels, couplings and axleboxes to go under W2, some items of platform furniture for Box End station from Perfect World, a driver for Blackbird (which has had to borrow Russell's until now) from Jon's the People People, and twelve inches of coupling chain from Brandbright. However, the main purchase today was...a brakevan!
The reason for this is that now that Blackbird has entered traffic, two-train operation is now possible for the first time (Russell and Albatross cannot run alongside each other as No. 1 does not have insulated wheels). However, I realised that if we're running two trains, we'll need two brakevans! Fortunately, I was saved the trouble of having to build a kit as I found a second-hand van on the 16mm Association's member-to-member sales stand. It will have to be regauged for the MVR as is is currently 32mm gauge, but at only £10 it was too good a bargin to miss. I purchased another set of wheels and axleboxes from IP for the van, which will take the number K2, and we have plenty of wood left over from the construction of W2 that will be suitible for the solebars, so we will hopefully be able to get it running fairly quickly. As can be seen in the picture the van is nicely detailed, but it appears to be built entirely out of 3mm ply, making it a little flimsy and extremely light - I will have to add some weights at some point. Blackbird's new driver stands alongside to give a sense of scale.

The only bad news is that even the diverse range of traders at Stoneleigh were unable to yield a large file, so construction of the station building is still suspended for the moment. However, it is hoped that we will be able to visit the Woodrow Light Railway's well-equipped workshop soon, so the light at the end of that particular tunnel is starting to draw closer.
That's all for now folks...and there really will be an April update, I promise!

January 2007


As usual, this update is a little overdue, but it should be worth the wait! Although I was expecting a fairly quiet month due to my mock GCSEs, a surprising amount has happened over the past few weeks.

One of the problems we have at the MVR is that there is no proper model shop within easy travelling distance, meaning that opportunities to buy materials are rare. But like buses, two came at once this month! My first visit was to Wycombe Models in High Wycombe, were I was finally able to purchase the wood for W2. The frames and floor have now been assembled, and wheels, axleboxes and couplings will be ordered from IP Engineering shortly. That just leaves me to work out how to make the bolster...

The following day I visited the 4D Model Shop in London, where I found some very nice resin G-scale figures. They require some assembly and painting, but once complete they should look good alongside our LGB figures.

The only negative note this month is that I have not been able to make any more progress on the station building. The roof sections have a little flash that needs to be filed off, but at present we only have needle files that are too small for the task. We have not yet been able to aqcuire a larger file so progress has stalled. However, I have made one small item for the station: the nameboard. Jon Potter of the Woodrow Light Railway gave me the letters for a board some time ago, and the board itself was made from strip wood left over from the construction of K1 and U1. It has been painted in orange in cream to match the station and looks very smart.

To round off this month's report, here is a picture of our achievements: the three new figures, the nameboard, and W2's frames on the right.

October 2006

Well, the summer holidays are long gone, and as we head into the winter months thoughts turn again to workshop projects, hopefully to be completed ready for next season. Unfortunately, it's GCSE year for me and coursework is eating up much of my free time, but I have been able to work on Box End station building in free moments. The painting of the bodyshell was finally completed over half-term, and the North Eastern Region style tangerine and cream colour scheme certainly gives it a rather firey appearance...

August 2006


At long last, some really good news to report!
Blackbird, as reported on the home page, is now complete. She had already been run-in light engine on the Woodrow Light Railway before delivery, and has undertook haulage trials at the MVR before attending the WLR Summer Gala on the 23rd. Although built on the same chassis as IP Engineering's Jessie class, she is not as powerful as these locomotives because she has plastic, rather than metal, bodywork, resulting in some loss of adhesive weight. Nevertheless, her trials at the MVR showed that she can take all three of our heavy passenger coaches and the brake van K1 around the circuit, so she should be well-suited to MVR operations. At the WLR gala, she started a train of twelve four-wheeled wagons on the level but struggled on the gradients, so the WLR's Roundhouse Millie No. 8903 had to assist. Nevertheless, the WLR has produced an excellent locomotive and I would like to take this opportunity to extend my thanks to them for taking the time to complete the engine.

However, due to an increasing volume of work at the WLR workshop, I have decided to bring our other contract project, W2, back in house. The main difficulty we had with this project previously was obtaining materials, but that situation has now changed and work on the frames should begin shortly. The aim is to have it completed by the start of the 2007 season.

Our third current project, the new Box End station, has also made good progress. We have succeeded in flattening the bwoed resin pieces and the walls of the building have been assembled, as can be seen in the picture below. The next stage is to paint them before the roof is fitted.



Well, that's all for now folks. More in Spetember, fingers crossed...

June 2006

Mixed feelings this month-we've made some progress, but not as much as I would have liked. The good news is that B1 has finally been fitted with LGB couplings, something I've been meaning to do since 2004! This will allow greater flexibility when forming trains.

April 2006

Is it really a whole year since the old Carriage and Wagon section became the Workshop page? How time files...

February 2006

First the good news: the cattle wagon U1 has been completed and fully painted. Now the bad news: she can't run!

January 2006

Despite the site having been quite quiet recently, I have actually been getting on with things behind the scenes. U1's bodywork is now complete, and has been sprayed grey. However, to match the new L&B wagon (T1) I've decided to paint the strapping in black, rather like the cream lining on K1. The vehicle has been masked in preparation for this, and will hopefully be finished shortly-when it is I'll put a new photo in the gallery.

December 2005

Oh dear...once again I have been ignoring this page. However, at least I now have some news to report from the workshop.

September 2005

Another quiet month here...but elsewhere things have been going slightly better. Blackbird's chassis has now been completed at the Woodrow Light Railway's workshop-and they've gone one better and are making a body for us as well. The picture says it all....

August 2005

Well, my optimism at the end of the last post came to nothing. There was so little activity here in July it wasn't even worth updating this page. But the end of August has brought slightly better news.

June 2005

Ok, it's a bit late....

May 2005

Well, one month later, and I've actually managed to make some progress! What I've done is as follows:

April 2005

Well, welcome to the workshop page! As explained in the news, the C&W page has now been expanded to cover all projects going on at Rutton works. The page has been neglected for sometime, so here is the current situation: