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#71
Off Topic / Re: The Brassgoggles Model Mak...
Last post by James Harrison - December 08, 2025, 06:07:45 PMQuote from: The Bullet on December 08, 2025, 10:45:07 AMGot a parcel today:
Bing gauge 1, spirit-fired.
75 cm long.
This is a scale model of the S2/6, record holder before the class 05 took the record.
Colour me envious.
#72
Off Topic / Re: The Brassgoggles Model Mak...
Last post by The Bullet - December 08, 2025, 10:45:07 AMGot a parcel today:
Bing gauge 1, spirit-fired.
75 cm long.
This is a scale model of the S2/6, record holder before the class 05 took the record.
Bing gauge 1, spirit-fired.
75 cm long.
This is a scale model of the S2/6, record holder before the class 05 took the record.
#73
Architecture / Re: That 'big project' I've be...
Last post by James Harrison - December 07, 2025, 07:32:19 PMQuote from: Sir Henry on December 07, 2025, 09:18:49 AM[snip]QuoteBut if I take that fence down and replace it with a wall, it looks like anything over 1000mm above ground level needs planning permission and over 1200mm tall needs a structural design. But this means I could build something 1000mm high without a design or permission and yet be within the law if it were to fall down and hurt someone or cause a road hazard. Something doesn't seem quite right there... This is not necessarily a goal for 2026 but probably something I'll at least enquire about next year with the local council.
That's due to structural concerns. Across the road from us they've built a 1.5m high brick wall, one brick wide, with square brick columns every 3 metres. All it took was one small child climbing onto it for a section to collapse.
All the council will want to know is that (if it's tall) the wall is two bricks wide and is buttressed or has columns at a safe distance from each other (I think it's up to 2m apart). Up to 1m high it's not as likely to fall or do damage.
Other than that, it looks like you're well on your way to being able to sit back and look smug by this time next year.
Well, I've done a little bit of reading about that.
My Local Authority's planning website talks about 'permitted development rights' with a link to the UK's national planning portal. I had seen this before and that's where my 1000mm and 1200mm dimensions had come from, but you never quite know whether your local council has other ideas.
So it reads as though my local council basically takes the view that garden walls are 'permitted development' and tells you to look at the Planning Portal, which says
https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/fences-gates-and-garden-walls/planning-permission
I've got an existing 1800mm (ish) high wooden fence along there, so my reading is I could have an 1800mm high brick wall without needing planning permission. But then the taller the wall, the higher the wind loads on it and I know from professional experience that a long straight wall subjected to wind load is not exactly stable - or at least, can't be proved stable numerically.
So. I'm starting to think about going for something tall enough to keep people out, but low enough that the wind doesn't destabilise it.
#74
Architecture / Re: That 'big project' I've be...
Last post by Sir Henry - December 07, 2025, 09:18:49 AM[snip]
That's due to structural concerns. Across the road from us they've built a 1.5m high brick wall, one brick wide, with square brick columns every 3 metres. All it took was one small child climbing onto it for a section to collapse.
All the council will want to know is that (if it's tall) the wall is two bricks wide and is buttressed or has columns at a safe distance from each other (I think it's up to 2m apart). Up to 1m high it's not as likely to fall or do damage.
Other than that, it looks like you're well on your way to being able to sit back and look smug by this time next year.
QuoteBut if I take that fence down and replace it with a wall, it looks like anything over 1000mm above ground level needs planning permission and over 1200mm tall needs a structural design. But this means I could build something 1000mm high without a design or permission and yet be within the law if it were to fall down and hurt someone or cause a road hazard. Something doesn't seem quite right there... This is not necessarily a goal for 2026 but probably something I'll at least enquire about next year with the local council.
That's due to structural concerns. Across the road from us they've built a 1.5m high brick wall, one brick wide, with square brick columns every 3 metres. All it took was one small child climbing onto it for a section to collapse.
All the council will want to know is that (if it's tall) the wall is two bricks wide and is buttressed or has columns at a safe distance from each other (I think it's up to 2m apart). Up to 1m high it's not as likely to fall or do damage.
Other than that, it looks like you're well on your way to being able to sit back and look smug by this time next year.
#75
Architecture / Re: That 'big project' I've be...
Last post by James Harrison - December 06, 2025, 10:19:50 AMEvaluation part 2.
In the nearly six years (!) this project has been running, I've achieved the following;
1 - Front garden - 95% done
2 - Sitting room / library - 90 - 95% done
3 - Dining room - 99% done
4 - Bathroom - 98% done
5 - Master bedroom - 90% done
6 - Entrance hallway - 95% done
7 - Staircase and landing - ?% done
6 - External works - 50% done
The percentages are basically an assessment of 'what the space looks like' versus 'the picture I had in my head'.
If I've given 99%, what I'm saying is that my mental picture has been achieved. I'll never reach 100% because there is always some little detail or other to be added.
So you can see I'm building up a fairly impressive list now of areas that are either complete, or close enough to it that a visitor wouldn't know there's still work to be done. The challenge now though is deciding whether the next build programme starts on another room, or whether it concentrates on getting some of those 90 and 95% items up to 99.
One item that I have to progress sooner rather than later is what I've termed the external works. This encompasses the masonry, window cills and mullions, the roof level decorative work, and the flashings, flaunchings and pots for the chimneys. Taking down the cement render and attacking the masonry paint last year was absolutely a good thing to do, but has created smaller issues such as damaged brickwork. Left alone that will only get worse. So one thing I really want to do in 2026 is to put together a package of works for masonry repair and repointing, checking the chimney flashings and restoring the decoration over the master bedroom window. Naturally this is something that I can't do myself so I'm currently trying to find a local conservation contractor to undertake the work. I suspect this is not going to be a £50 job, especially considering it is going to need scaffold on the adjacent public footpath.
I'd also like to start thinking ahead toward the paddock. The roadside fence is starting to look increasingly shabby. Originally, this was a brick wall. I'd like to reinstate that, not necessarily a complete replica of the original wall but something in modern construction of the same height. Now, the relative unknowns for this are exactly what sort of permits I need. Initial research suggests that if I were to replace the wooden fence like for like I don't need any sort of permission at all. But if I take that fence down and replace it with a wall, it looks like anything over 1000mm above ground level needs planning permission and over 1200mm tall needs a structural design. But this means I could build something 1000mm high without a design or permission and yet be within the law if it were to fall down and hurt someone or cause a road hazard. Something doesn't seem quite right there... This is not necessarily a goal for 2026 but probably something I'll at least enquire about next year with the local council.
The plans for next year could then take two different paths, depending what I decide;
Option 1. Start work on another room - most likely the back bedroom (to become my hobby room). I say most likely the back bedroom because that would then pretty much complete work upstairs. And as the kitchen tends to become something of a workshop and materials/ tools storage when redecorating, I would hate to get the kitchen finished and then wreck it whilst redecorating other rooms afterward. So I'd be looking to clear out the back bedroom (that in itself would be an achievement), repaint it, clean up the old fire surround back to polished iron, take the carpet out etc - basically a repeat of works in the master bedroom but hopefully without the wallpapering and replastering antic.
Option 2. Get some more rooms up to 99%. This would be things like
- Replacing the bathroom light fitting
- Completing the sitting room bay window
- Fitting a loft hatch surround in the master bedroom
- Brass light switch and power outlets in the master bedroom
- New light fitting in the master bedroom
- Paintwork in the master bedroom panelling
In the nearly six years (!) this project has been running, I've achieved the following;
1 - Front garden - 95% done
2 - Sitting room / library - 90 - 95% done
3 - Dining room - 99% done
4 - Bathroom - 98% done
5 - Master bedroom - 90% done
6 - Entrance hallway - 95% done
7 - Staircase and landing - ?% done
6 - External works - 50% done
The percentages are basically an assessment of 'what the space looks like' versus 'the picture I had in my head'.
If I've given 99%, what I'm saying is that my mental picture has been achieved. I'll never reach 100% because there is always some little detail or other to be added.
So you can see I'm building up a fairly impressive list now of areas that are either complete, or close enough to it that a visitor wouldn't know there's still work to be done. The challenge now though is deciding whether the next build programme starts on another room, or whether it concentrates on getting some of those 90 and 95% items up to 99.
One item that I have to progress sooner rather than later is what I've termed the external works. This encompasses the masonry, window cills and mullions, the roof level decorative work, and the flashings, flaunchings and pots for the chimneys. Taking down the cement render and attacking the masonry paint last year was absolutely a good thing to do, but has created smaller issues such as damaged brickwork. Left alone that will only get worse. So one thing I really want to do in 2026 is to put together a package of works for masonry repair and repointing, checking the chimney flashings and restoring the decoration over the master bedroom window. Naturally this is something that I can't do myself so I'm currently trying to find a local conservation contractor to undertake the work. I suspect this is not going to be a £50 job, especially considering it is going to need scaffold on the adjacent public footpath.
I'd also like to start thinking ahead toward the paddock. The roadside fence is starting to look increasingly shabby. Originally, this was a brick wall. I'd like to reinstate that, not necessarily a complete replica of the original wall but something in modern construction of the same height. Now, the relative unknowns for this are exactly what sort of permits I need. Initial research suggests that if I were to replace the wooden fence like for like I don't need any sort of permission at all. But if I take that fence down and replace it with a wall, it looks like anything over 1000mm above ground level needs planning permission and over 1200mm tall needs a structural design. But this means I could build something 1000mm high without a design or permission and yet be within the law if it were to fall down and hurt someone or cause a road hazard. Something doesn't seem quite right there... This is not necessarily a goal for 2026 but probably something I'll at least enquire about next year with the local council.
The plans for next year could then take two different paths, depending what I decide;
Option 1. Start work on another room - most likely the back bedroom (to become my hobby room). I say most likely the back bedroom because that would then pretty much complete work upstairs. And as the kitchen tends to become something of a workshop and materials/ tools storage when redecorating, I would hate to get the kitchen finished and then wreck it whilst redecorating other rooms afterward. So I'd be looking to clear out the back bedroom (that in itself would be an achievement), repaint it, clean up the old fire surround back to polished iron, take the carpet out etc - basically a repeat of works in the master bedroom but hopefully without the wallpapering and replastering antic.
Option 2. Get some more rooms up to 99%. This would be things like
- Replacing the bathroom light fitting
- Completing the sitting room bay window
- Fitting a loft hatch surround in the master bedroom
- Brass light switch and power outlets in the master bedroom
- New light fitting in the master bedroom
- Paintwork in the master bedroom panelling
#76
Off Topic / Re: The Brassgoggles Model Mak...
Last post by James Harrison - December 05, 2025, 06:52:27 PMMy turn to show off what I've been up to...
I finished the Barnum - I bought some Hornby buffers and had to build complete new buffer mounts for them...
I've got two more to build but since I bought them three years ago I've backdated a little further. They'll get built, but they're now more of a 'nice to have' than strictly needed for RLS.
And then I started on something new.
I've got lots (and lots) of Triang / Hornby clerestory carriages. And I've got 9 Great Central clerestories on order, which will render them... obsolete.
https://gcr-rollingstocktrust.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/History-of-GCR-Suburban-No.799-Rev8-Apr2020.pdf
These are what the GCR built after about 1905, and the discovery that somebody is marketing 3D printed interiors and flat roofs for the Hornby carriages got me thinking. I'm having a go at turning some of my Hornby carriages into these.
First I painted the interior print.
Then I set to work on the bogies. New metal wheels and axles and magnetic couplings, and I cut off the springs for more of an Edwardian look.
After cleaning the body, an all-over coat of chocolate brown paint was applied.
This was followed by a flooding the panelling with cream paint wet down to about the consistency of milk.
I finished the Barnum - I bought some Hornby buffers and had to build complete new buffer mounts for them...
I've got two more to build but since I bought them three years ago I've backdated a little further. They'll get built, but they're now more of a 'nice to have' than strictly needed for RLS.
And then I started on something new.
I've got lots (and lots) of Triang / Hornby clerestory carriages. And I've got 9 Great Central clerestories on order, which will render them... obsolete.
https://gcr-rollingstocktrust.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/History-of-GCR-Suburban-No.799-Rev8-Apr2020.pdf
These are what the GCR built after about 1905, and the discovery that somebody is marketing 3D printed interiors and flat roofs for the Hornby carriages got me thinking. I'm having a go at turning some of my Hornby carriages into these.
First I painted the interior print.
Then I set to work on the bogies. New metal wheels and axles and magnetic couplings, and I cut off the springs for more of an Edwardian look.
After cleaning the body, an all-over coat of chocolate brown paint was applied.
This was followed by a flooding the panelling with cream paint wet down to about the consistency of milk.
#77
Tactile / Re: Great Central Railway No.5...
Last post by James Harrison - December 05, 2025, 05:49:40 PMQuote from: Ceir on November 25, 2025, 05:12:11 AMSporadic it may be, but I appreciate the updates!
You're welcome. I think the nice thing now is, being able to scroll all the way back to best part of 10 years ago and see how far we've come. These things don't happen in a day and sometimes it's easy to feel nothing is happening when in fact the opposite is true.
And on that note - the quarterly newsletter has just come in.
Big things have happened even in just the 6 weeks or so since the AGM.
For one thing, we were talking about procuring the boiler design in October and now we've placed an order for the design, with Israel Newton. They have extensive experience with locomotive boilers, both restoring old ones and building new.
Our boiler is similar to, but in certain key respects differs from, those fitted to Austerity tank engines in the 1940s. There are a significant number of that type of locomotive preserved, so many in fact that Newtons have a range of standardised components for them. Given the similarities it would be madness not to take advantage of it. We're not going to be replicating an original boiler, but dimensionally it will be pretty much like-for-like. What we're looking to achieve is something that has the same bulk or mass as an original would have, but I suppose you could say updated to accommodate the realities of use on preserved railways. So that means efficiency, ease of maintenance and ability to steam on lower-grade coal and alternative fuels have to be given consideration.
The outline design that Israel Newton have produced is largely based on the Austerity tank boiler for maximum use of standardised components. The barrel, the dome and the firebox have all been customised to suit #567. One slightly unusual aspect is that the standard Austerity pressings ordinarily result in a riveted boiler, but we're currently thinking of welding them instead to give us suitable clearance around the driving wheels. It's easier to put that boiler on a chassis with 4'3" wheels than on one with 6' 9"... draw it out in section and you'll quickly find the issue.
Our firebox is going to be significantly deeper than that on an Austerity tank too.
It's a rough outline design at the moment and a lot of finer details need to be worked out.
The tender chassis overhaul is progressing at Loughborough; a lot of the concrete has been broken out from the water tank sump, the tender tank itself has been weighed in for scrap and the front buffer beam is being stripped down. Several castings in the frames have been found to be cracked, but other parts are in surprisingly good condition. We're getting a clearer idea of the work that needs to be done.
A new list of sponsorship items has been released, excitingly we're now seeing boiler tubes and firebox stays putting in an appearance.
#78
Trading / Re: angler fish lamp
Last post by von Corax - December 03, 2025, 04:06:47 AMI'd consider buying it if it were closer to me, and if it weren't on Facebook. (I refuse to have anything to do with Facebook.)
#79
Trading / Re: angler fish lamp
Last post by Rigsby1 - December 02, 2025, 10:39:53 PMQuote from: von Corax on December 02, 2025, 06:52:46 PMQuote from: Rigsby1 on December 02, 2025, 04:47:15 PMhttps://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/814993984750560?locale=en_GB
not sure if the price is right for this lamp? What do you guys think?
Facebook images don't really work with our Forum software. I've changed the URL in my quote to a link to the FB page.
That said, I kind of like it, but I don't know the exchange rate to day if it's worth the price. Maybe one of our UK members could weigh in?
83 CAD
#80
Trading / Re: angler fish lamp
Last post by von Corax - December 02, 2025, 06:52:46 PMQuote from: Rigsby1 on December 02, 2025, 04:47:15 PMhttps://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/814993984750560?locale=en_GB
not sure if the price is right for this lamp? What do you guys think?
Facebook images don't really work with our Forum software. I've changed the URL in my quote to a link to the FB page.
That said, I kind of like it, but I don't know the exchange rate to day if it's worth the price. Maybe one of our UK members could weigh in?