Well 2023 is underway. It’ll be a big change and possibly challenge too. Both of us made redundant in December there’s a new life balance to work out, depending on whether anything turns up employment wise.
Planet Industrial ‘Victory’
One thing is certain, there’s going to be model building in some form or another, in terms of keeping the head space working modelling of any kind does just that. The ‘Victory’ above is just that, one of those simple makeovers that keeps the skill set alive. The idea was to give the appearance of a 1970’s era last of industrial steam locomotive, but one still looked after.
It’s a very simple makeover, the smoke box has been painted a dark grey, and the rear bunker masked and painted white using an Halfords enamel rattle can.
Railtec transfers form the chevrons, plain black stripes from the kit for 08 diesels fit once cut to size. These were left to settle and once dry varnished to give them a final fix.
Washes from Mig paints were applied to tone the stark whiteness of the bunker. The chassis and body were split to make the painting of those easier, (see how to split them in this video)
The overall weathering is slowly added to, so as not to overdose on filth.
So this project bridges 22/23, with just the last finishing touches to do, the top of the boiler and roof needs a bit more work.
One thing is certain for 2023, things will be different, and whatever modelling I do will be too. I’m reasonably happy that a viable aviation industry position will turn up, until then it’s treading water and not starting something which will be a burden. I’ve been fortunate that a couple of friends of the blog have asked me to do some product reviews and there’s a bit of a backlog of those.
The List…
An early priority is to sort the definitive list of stock (above), I’ve used fault free through the Peco Bullhead points and crossings. One idea is to add YouTube content using those, which could be good fun. Don’t worry no Sam strains content will be emerging from Albion Yard!
TT is intriguing and with an Hornby Class 08 on order think another Shelfie is on the to dolist. There’s an update to come on Shelfie3 and Shelfie4 too that may well involve a brave pill or two.
2022 has left the building, 2023 has already taken off. Have a good new year!
Just a quick note to say thank you for reading the blog this year, and please take time to visit the blogs and websites on the blog roll, they’re worth dipping into.
A while back, roughly two years ago, this 45xx passed through the man cave. It came from an estate sale as a non-runner. The original idea was to rob the chassis from it and place it under a Bachmann 4575 body a friend had found and donated to the cause.
Unfortunately the body swap wasn’t viable, clearances for the motor in particular meant it would take more effort than I felt worth it to do the swap and then additional work with the chimney and the cab to match the two other 45’s in the fleet.
Hybrid 4575
Fortunately the donor had located a suitable early chassis, DC only and a BR livery version with lined cylinders as above, and a wad of cash sorted the deal. I wanted to do something different with this one and cut one of the cab doors into an open position.
Inner cab block to remove
This wasn’t as easy as I first thought. Behind the cab door there’s a cast block section, this needs removing to enable the door to be positioned ‘open’. I did this by partially dismantling the body and wedging the cab off the floor to allow a thin file space to work.
Razor saw cut for the door
Using a 0.5mm thickness blade the door opening can be cut through. Using a scalpel score an inner line at the hinge side of the door to allow the plastic to flex and bend.
Door positioned ‘open’
The cab roof removal is a key element of making this conversion easier, it also allows the cab vents to be positioned open giving more light into the cab interior.
The glazing is also removed at this stage and replaced with hand cut windows, these make a big difference with virtually no refraction.
Pre shaded ready for top colour
Once the detail modification has been done, I prepare the body by pre shading around the raised details using acrylic black prior to using Halfords acrylic black for the base body colour.
Bachmann 4575
The next step was giving the smokebox a separate colour. Due to the heat the area receives I use a black or dark grey a shade or so lighter than the body colour. Having achieved the state above, it obviously ended up sitting on the shelf of doom for the best part of a year as they do!
So today, kicking my heels, I decided having an hour or two to spare to complete it.
With the addition of Fox Transfers large early logo, and BR/WR numbers from 247 Developments. I got the weathering completed not going too hard on that so that the engine looks used, but not abused. Choosing 5538 the allocation is Gloucester up to the late 1959, so a (remote) possibility it might have been seen in or in the vicinity of the Forest. The final element is the smokebox number and couplings, the Masokits Fifteen minute heroes of my choice.
So I’m quite pleased with that, a shelf queen finally terminating its residency. A ‘result’ as the pundits would say!
To all the readers of the blog, Facebook and viewers of Instagram and the Albion Yard YouTube channel, I’d like to thank you for taking the time to read, watch and comment on the content, it’s much appreciated.
“Rocky”
This morning instead of vegging in front of the fire I spent my time with one of my daughters helping at a local greyhound sanctuary, walking the mutts. Meet Rocky, bounces like a kangaroo, with a nice temperament. A good head clearing in many ways. Enjoy the day, and see you soon!
I took the opportunity to look at the TT display on Hornby’s stand, and overall was impressed by the stock in particular.
Hornby TT GBRF 08
Having ordered an 08 I was pleasantly surprised to see the blue version on the stand. At first glance it certainly captures the look of the prototype, apart from the nose ladders which are incorrect for this livery. The details such as cab door, side window, bonnet hinges and vents all look a plausible configuration, I’ve not checked against the running number yet. The chassis and side rods in particular look good, the crankpins and rod ends are much less chunky in their appearance than corresponding Farish N gauge details.
Hornby TT 21T Mineral wagon
For my industrial leanings paring the 08 up with 21T MDV’s really sets the imagination working! I wish they had introduced the BR 20t brake van and 16t mineral in this first tranche, as despite their everyday utilitarian lives, key mainstream items like that would I feel generate more interest.
Hornby TT HAA hopperHornby TT Tank Wagon Hornby TT HST
Also on display were the MGR hoppers, HST EP and 14t tank wagon which caught my eye. All have a quality look to them and whilst the display layout was very much in the traditional 6×4’ style the decoration of the Mk1’s and Pullman cars was very good too. I still think this scale has an exciting potential, and I hope that there’s a clear supply chain to ensure easy access into this scale. With the emphasis very much being on attracting new hobby blood and scale swappers into this genre, the decision to be a direct sales, sole supplier, is a very bold one.
Dapol
Dapol O Gauge J94
Dapol were showing a few new products that caught my attention. Having recently spent time looking over a real J94, the EP’s look like doing justice to this ‘plain Jane’ prototype.
Dapol O Gauge Austerity Dapol O Gauge J94
High and low bunker variants were in the showcase with differing saddle tank details. It’s good to see the more humble steam types being introduced in O scale, I think this one will do well for them.
Livery samples for the OO gauge Great Western Toplight suburban coaches were in evidence, and I can see these being used as generic suburban/branch line stock on many a layout!
Dapol O Gauge 82xxx BR TankDapol O Gauge 82xxx BR Standard Tank
The O gauge BR Standard class 3 2-6-2t is one of those classes that always turns my head. Possibly because of the early Triang model of it, and the stunning Kemilway examples we used to see at MRM at Kings Cross but an 82xxx lights the fires for me!
Accurascale
Accurascale OO class 31
Kings Cross and 31’s are forever linked for me, from seeing them on the ECML to the nearly ten years of regular commuting they’ve always featured in my life experience of railways.
Accurascale OO class 31Accurascale OO class 31Accurascale OO class 31
The display case shelf full of varieties of class 31’s shows what a lifespan and miriad of detail options there will be within this staple class of modelling British Rail, and the post privatisation era.
Accurascale OO GWR Siphon
Also lighting the blue touch paper like the 82xxx’s are the OO GWR Siphons. Another excellent choice in terms of variety and liveries.
So that concludes my brief look at some of the items that caught my eye. It was a show I really enjoyed, despite not seeing much of the layouts. The real benefit for me was just catching up with many of my friends both in the trade and modellers like me, just out for the enjoyment of seeing each other again for the first time in a few years. Well worth going just for that.
Warley for me was a full day of just catching up with people face to face, after around two years. Here’s a selection of the Heljan products on show. I’m particularly taken with the class 104.
Heljan OO Class 104Heljan OO Class 104Heljan OO Class 104 Heljan OO Class 104Heljan OO Class 104Heljan OO Class 104Heljan O Gauge Class 58Heljan O Gauge class 58
The class 58 wasn’t a type I regularly saw on the southern end of the east coast main line, but the EP here certainly captures for me the look and mass of the type.
Heljan OO Newton Chambers car carrier
These I recall clearly, frequently sitting in the parcels bay on the west side of Kings cross accompanied by either GUV’s or Mk1 BG’s. Modelling Kings Cross in the D&E BR blue era is getting easier! Going into wish list mode how cool would 313’s and 312’s be with them.
Heljan OO Newton Chambers car carrierHeljan OO Newton Chambers car carrierHeljan OO Newton Chambers car carrier
Here at Warley for the first time in two years. A good vibe around the place and well attended. Getting into BR blue the EP from Cavalex is really looking good. Easy chip access, and exquisite detailing being of note, including the roof louvres being open.
Walk past Cavalex 56Cavalex OO class 56
The footsteps and kick plates showing excellent attention they detail.
Easy access via magnetic roof panel Cavalex class 56
The face is I think particularly good with the windows and cab profile looking the part. The open shoulder louvres are very apparent when viewed side on, it’s this sort of capture that I think will make this a very popular model. The finesse of them stands apart from other earlier models that have tried to replicate similar features.
High-quality ‘O’ Gauge powder tank wagons for cement and chemical traffic to be released in 2023.
One of four exciting announcements from HELJAN this weekend at the Warley National Model Railway Exhibition is an all-new PCA powder tank wagon for O gauge. These superb new models are being produced exclusively for Realism Redefined, the retail arm of ‘Britain’s Biggest Model Railway’.
Realism Redefined O Gauge PCA Tank Wagon
Featuring compensated axles, sprung buffers and Instanter couplings, fine pipework and underframe detail, separately fitted walkways, the model is based on the depressed centre PCA tanks used for cement and chemical traffic since the 1980s. The first batch includes no fewer than 10 individually numbered and decorated cement wagons (see artwork below), allowing customers to assemble realistic ready-to-run block trains. Also in development are similar wagons in Lever Brothers/Tiger Rail and Albright & Wilson liveries for powdered chemical traffic – ideal for 1980s/90s Speedlink trains.
Realism Redefined O Gauge PCA
Priced at just £99 each, the PCAs represent excellent value for money and are expected to be extremely popular with ‘O’ gauge modellers. See www.realismredefined.co.uk for further information and advance orders.
CAD work and livery artwork is complete and we expect the first engineering prototype samples to arrive in the UK for review in early-2023. Look out for further updates on this much-requested O gauge wagon soon.
Realism Redefined PCA 1060
1060 BCC Grey PCA 10800 ERA 8/9
1061 BCC Grey PCA 10894 ERA 8/9
1062 BCC Grey PCA 10747 ERA 8/9
1063 BCC Grey PCA 10739 ERA 8/9
Realism Redefined PCA 1064
1064 BCC Grey PCA 10777 ERA 9
1065 BCC Grey PCA 10770 ERA 8/9
1066 BCC Grey 10762 ERA 8/9
Realism Redefined PCA 1067
1067 BCC Grey PCA 10749 ERA 9
1068 BCC Grey PCA 10738 ERA 8/9
1069 BCC Grey PCA 10888
Lever Bros O Gauge PCA
1078 Lever Bros/Tiger Rail Leasing PCA TRL10527 ERA 8
Visitors to the Warley National Model Railway Exhibition this weekend will be the first to see HELJAN’s new O gauge Class 58 – a surprise addition to our range of high-quality British outline diesel locomotives.
This all-new model has been produced in response to strong demand from O gauge modellers and provides an appropriate follow up to our hugely popular Class 56. Six liveries will be available on general release via HELJAN stockists (see below), with a further locomotive in Mainline Blue available from Gaugemaster stockists as part of the ‘Gaugemaster Collection’. Two more versions will be available exclusively from O gauge specialist Tower Models – see www.tower-models.com for more information.
Standard features will match the demanding requirements of today’s O gauge modeller, including a ‘plug-and-play’ DCC interface (ESU LokSound XL #58515 decoder required – not supplied), powered roof fans (independently controlled in DCC mode) LED lighting with independently switchable headlight, cab interior and tail light functions, provision for a DCC-activated smoke unit and a large speaker, sprung buffers/couplings, detailed cab interior and bogies and much more. Suggested Retail Price (SRP) is £729.00 or £749.00 for factory weathered models.
Tooling covers both ‘Phase 1’ and ‘Phase 2’ locomotives with numerous authentic detail variations on the bogies and cabs, including sandboxes with transparent covers on ‘Phase 2’ locomotives. All models will be supplied with three alternative sets of cab door handrails or etched metal baffle plates allowing locomotives to be tailored to specific liveries/timescales.
British Rail Engineering Ltd (BREL) built 50 Class 58s in 1983-87 to a modular design aimed at the export market. For much of their career they were based at Toton depot near Nottingham and deployed on merry-go-round coal trains between East Midlands collieries and power stations. In 1994, the fleet transferred to Mainline Freight and quickly expanded its range across the south-east of England and to a more diverse range of freight traffic. In 1996, the fleet was absorbed by EWS and although it was expected to form a key part of the company’s long-term plans, withdrawal took place between 1999 and 2002. EWS and its successors exported many ‘58s’ to France, Spain and the Netherlands for further use.
New locomotives and rolling stock for ‘OO’ and ‘O’ gauge joined by sought-after reruns of existing models.
O Gauge Class 58
Visitors to the Warley National Model Railway Exhibition this weekend will be the first to see HELJAN’s 2023 catalogue, containing a strong line-up of new and refreshed models for release in 2023/24.
OO Gauge class 86/2
Our 2023 UK outline catalogue goes on sale to the public at the NEC this weekend and will be available from HELJAN UK stockists from next week, priced at £3.50. Retailers can obtain copies for sale via Gaugemaster with immediate effect.
Headlining the new announcements are a Class 58 diesel in O gauge, a Class 86/2 AC electric in OO gauge and, for the first time as a ready-to-run model, the distinctive Newton Chambers TCV Car Transporter in OO.
Both the Class 58 and the TCVs are well advanced, with factory decorated samples already in the UK for review. The TCVs will arrive first, in Spring 2023, followed by the ‘58’ in mid-year and the Class 86/2s towards the end of 2023. See separate press releases for more information on these exciting all-new models.
A number of other new models make their debut in the 2023 HELJAN catalogue, including BR/NBL prototype diesel 10800 (due Spring 2023) and our retooled and upgraded OO Class 26. Having announced the new ‘26/1s’ with Far North Line twin headlights earlier this year, we can now confirm the identities and liveries for the remaining models in the initial batch of releases, including a special ‘tatty’ edition in Railfreight ‘Red Stripe’ for the Gaugemaster Collection. See listing below. Further versions covering the ‘Pilot Scheme’ Class 26/0s are currently in development and will be announced in 2023.
Also in the catalogue for the first time are the Southern Railway CCT/PMV vans and updated Class 45 diesels in O gauge announced earlier this year. Reruns and upgrades of existing products include the ‘OO’ Class 57 in several new liveries plus Class 20 and ‘Western’ diesels in O gauge.
Following the sellout success of our recently released OO Class 45 ‘Peak’, a second batch is now in preparation for release in 2023 featuring liveries and ‘specials’ not covered in the first batch. Further versions of the classic BR/Sulzer 1-Co-Co-1 family are currently in development and will be announced in 2023.
Not featured in the 2023 catalogue but also announced this weekend is an all-new PCA powder tank wagon for O gauge. These superb new models are being produced exclusively for Realism Redefined, the retail arm of ‘Britain’s Biggest Model Railway’.
Featuring compensated axles, sprung buffers and Instanter couplings, fine pipework and underframe detail, the model is based on the depressed centre PCA tanks used for cement and chemical traffic since the 1980s. The first batch includes no fewer than 10 individually numbered and decorated cement wagons, allowing customers to assemble a realistic ready-to-run block train. Also planned are similar wagons in Lever Brothers/Tiger Rail purple and Albright & Wilson green – ideal for 1980s/90s Speedlink trains. See http://www.realismredefined.co.uk for more information.
CAD work and livery artwork is complete and we expect the first engineering prototype samples to arrive in the UK for review in early-2023. Look out for further updates on this much-requested O gauge wagon soon.
‘OO’ GAUGE NEW ITEMS FOR 2023/24
BRCW/SULZER TYPE 2 – CLASS 26
2625: BR Blue 26039 (twin headlights)
2626: BR Blue 26032 (twin headlights) WEATHERED
2641: BR Green D5333 (small yellow panels)
2642: BR Green D5335 (full yellow ends)
2643: BR Blue 26023 (tablet catcher recess)
2644: BR Blue 26042 (dual braked)
2645: Railfreight Red Stripe 26038
2646: Civil Engineers Grey/Yellow 26026
GM4240501 Railfreight Red Stripe 26025 (tatty with Eastfield Terrier)
NEW LIVERIES FOR 2023! BR Derby/Sulzer Type 4 – Class 45
45102: BR Economy Green D63 Royal Inniskilling Fusilier (small yellow panel)
45103: BR Blue D50 The King’s Shropshire Light Infantry (small yellow panel)
45105: BR Blue 45032 (domino headcodes)
45301: BR Blue 45055 Royal Corps of Transport (red bufferbeams)
45303: BR Blue 97409 ‘Lytham St Annes’ (Tinsley painted names) WEATHERED
45400: BR Blue 45144 Royal Signals (black roof)
45401: BR Blue 45110 (white body stripe)
45503: BR Blue 45104 The Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers (orange cantrail stripe, black bonnet/cab, NSE flashes)
NEW LIVERIES FOR 2023! Class 57
5706: Virgin Trains 57302 Virgil Tracy WEATHERED
5707: Virgin Trains 57309 Brains
5708: First Great Western ‘Fag Packet’ Green 57603 Tintagel Castle
5710: GWR Green 57605 Totnes Castle
5711: GWR Lined Green 57604 Pendennis Castle
5712: West Coast Railways ‘Northern Belle’ 57601 Windsor Castle
5713: Network Rail Yellow 57312
NEW VERSION FOR 2023! BR Class 86/2 – Late-1970s onwards
GM4240304: BR ‘Rainhill 150’ Blue 86235 Novelty GAUGEMASTER COLLECTION^
8621: BR Rail Blue 86253 The Manchester Guardian^
8623: InterCity Executive 86204 City of Carlisle^
8630: InterCity Swift 86238 European Community^
8631: Virgin Trains 86240 Bishop Eric Treacy+
8633: Electric Blue 86259 Les Ross^
8634: EWS Red/Gold 86261 Rail Charter Partnership^
Albion Yard 
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