I went down to Weston...

I didn't really. But I did, however, purchase a model of a locomotive that regularly went there...

No. 4 in the Glenauchter fiddle yard during her first run.

That's right - another sodding Terrier! But this one is rather special. It's a limited edition model of Weston, Clevedon & Portishead Railway No. 4 commissioned by Antics.

If you haven't been able to tell already, I'm rather fond of this engine and the railway it belonged to. One of my first OO models after getting back into railway modelling in 2014 was No.4 in GWR condition. Intrigued by the odd matching of loco and livery, I looked into No. 4's history and began an epic quest to destroy the one ring to rule them all (or something). 

Long since cannibalised for parts, GWR No. 6 stands by a signal box at some point in 2014.

This sparked my interest in the light railways run by the eccentric Colonel Stephens and his successor W. H. Austen. It's hardly surprising that I chose the Dapol model of LB&SCR 643 'Gipsyhill' (later WC&PR No. 2 'Portishead') as my first O gauge model. 

'Gipsyhill' during her first public day on the Glenauchter layout. She is currently in the process of being turned into K&ESR No. 3 'Bodiam'.

Anyway, back to the new shiny thing. I knew before purchasing that I'd have to fiddle about with the model to make it more like the real No. 4, though this didn't really bother me. I was pleasantly surprised upon opening the box to see that Antics had kindly supplied condensing gear and extra brake pipes for the model. Also enclosed (as well as the usual set of Dapol instructions) was a lovely postcard, some vouchers and an additional sheet which provided excellent pictures and information on the modifications that needed to be made and how to go about making them. I can't really fault this purchase as the extra bits provided proved most useful in altering the model. As well as weathering the loco and adding the condensing gear and vacuum brakes (though not the ones provided) I decided to tackle the plethora of pipes that No. 4 had under her bufferbeam.

No.4 at Broadstone halt - now with an unholy mess of pipes.

Have I done a perfect job? Lord no! But I'm definitely satisfied with the finished result. I thoroughly recommend this model, it is certainly worth the price.

This picture of No. 4 at Walton Park station shows the rather naff bottle jack made from an old super glue nozzle!

Oh, Mr Porter!

Film fans among you will notice that the blog is named after a particularly famous line from a film from the late 1930s. I like this film. It is good.

The film in question is 'Oh, Mr Porter!' (1937) which starred a fantastic trio - Will Hay, Moore Marriott and Graham Moffat. It's a very funny film and, despite it's age, holds up rather well! instead of giving a brief plot summary, I shall be a lazy git and plop a link to the film here:

The wonders of technology, eh? Anyway, you may be wondering at this point "where are you going with this you silly sod?" well first off, don't use that tone with me! And secondly, A.C. Stadden sell models of the main cast in 7mm scale. Here's a set I've painted up...

"How can the next train be gone when it's right here!?"

"All aboard for Ballyhooley, Ballykelly, Ballybuggle...and all the other bally places!"

Colonel Stephens isn't impressed with Mr. Porter and his staff...

The figures were not my first project related to 'Oh, Mr. Porter!' I kit-bashed a model of 'Gladstone' (a very peculiar locomotive in the film) from an old Mainline J72.

'Gladstone' as played by K&ESR No. 2 'Northiam'

'Gladstone' Mk. I with Harbottle!

'Gladstone' Mk. I with plates

'Gladstone' Mk. I repainted to a more accurate blue livery

'Gladstone' Mk. II with stovepipe chimney

'Gladstone' Mk. III with new chassis, modified chimney and smokebox

A little out of scale...

She still needs a bit of work, but I think she's turned out alright for an engine made on a budget of £15!

And so my second blogpost comes to it's rather unsatisfying conclusion. Yay?

Kindest Guards

Stuart

An Introduction

Hullo and welcome to 'Next Train's Gone!' - a blog about my horrific attempts at modelling railways and stuff. My name is Stuart and I am a person of sorts. 

Now, those of you who know me fairly well can predict about how long this blog is going to last. But for those not in the know, I have previously tried making two blogs - both of which died very quickly. Third time lucky?

Anyway, about three years ago I fell back into the world of model railways and my wallet has never been the same since. Until very recently I primarily modelled OO gauge engines and rolling stock, but, after being introduced to O gauge, I've moved up to senior scale! Of course, this (like any scale) has it's advantages and disadvantages - some of which include but are not limited to:

PROS
It looks nice.
You can properly detail the people.

CONS
I have no money.

So yes. This is going to be fun*.  

I do hope you enjoy your stay, it's £5.67 a night so you're getting a fairly good deal here.

Yours insincerely,
Author, editor and publisher - Stuart












*probably