Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway Armoured Train

Job done. One 4mm scale armoured train ready for action.

The SGT's Mess resin and whitemetal kit is easy to assemble and price-wise, very reasonable. If you want to quibble, it should have been designed for 6 and not 9mm track but I'm not going to fuss over 3mm here.

There is plenty of potential for detail freaks to get excited about. I made a few changes to the locomotive with new smoke deflectors/cylinder protectors. A thin plastic cladding might look better than the casting but you'd need to make a really good job to improve on what is supplied.

The carriages are detail free inside but some of the photos show riveted plates in there that might be a nice and not too difficult addition. Since these vehicles were converted from bogie hopper wagons, I can't tell if the ends should be flat (as per the model) or retain their sloped ends. This doesn't show in the photos and while I suspect the kit is right, it wouldn't surprise me to find different. Not that I'd be bothered enough to modify things now but others may feel different.

All in all, I've enjoyed the project and am happy with the results. If I can find a way of motorising the loco, I'd do it all again...

Armoured train finishing touches

Nearly done with the armoured train - just a few finishing touches for the model.

Despite being all but invisible on the finished model, there is some nice detail work on the backhead. I decided that even on a wartime locomotive, the driver would probably spend a little time polishing his brasswork. Besides, it's easy to pick out the pipes with a tickle of brass paint and they look nice. Some red on the regulator and white on the gauge glass finish the job.

All this is hidden because the driver figure is standing up and leaning on the cab roof. To see the interior you will have to peer around the side of him!

I quite like this touch. The manufacturers know this is being sold as a static model and as such, have modelled it in this way. Guns are drawn and searching the sky for the Hun. The driver could sit around but he'll be keeping an eye out for places strafing the beach and risking his boiler even if it is armoured.

At the back, of course, we have some nice real Welsh steam coal in the tender. This step is so common, it probably doesn't warrant a mention in articles any more but if you leave it out...

Armoured painting - Part 2

Puzzling on how I might finished painting on the RH&DR armoured train took a quite a while. The problem is that the real thing wouldn't have had time to get properly dirty but neither would it have been clean.

At one point I seriously considered airbrushing the model with some light hazy colours but this seemed like too much work and likely to end up overdone.

With a nice matt finish though, weathering powders came to rescue. The posts mine came in site in a plastic tray. This sits in a slightly larger tray (they are supposed to be a box) over which I do most of my "powdering". The leftover dust collects in the tray and mixes to a pleasing brown colour.

Dusting the model worked very well. Vertical strokes from top to bottom look good and replicate the way rain washes dirt. Mixing the brown shades results in a nice subtle variation in colour - rather more subtle than the photo shows to be honest.

To finish, some sooty black around the chimney  and we are ready for final assembly.

Armoured painting - Part 1

According to the photos, the RH&DR armoured train was grey. To be honest, they are black and white photos so of course it's grey. I think that was the colour in real life too though. Don't be fooled by the replica train. This has brown wheels because (I think) they didn't want to repaint the loco, just plonk a body over the top of it.

Anyway, painting starts with a blast of Halfords grey primer. To add a bit of variation, this is dry-brushed with Humbrol 64 pale grey. Chassis bits are painted black and the wheel treads and flanges, silver.

I think this model is going to need some light weathering to bring it alive but I can't imagine the prototype had a chance to get properly dirty.

The crew are ready to go after painting. I'll not go in to this much other than to say I have used a couple of tricks to be revealed in a future BRM.

Little soldiers

Seven tiny soldiers are supplied with the armoured train. To keep the costs down only four different poses are provided.

This isn't a real problem as the gunners are mostly hidden in the carriages and the plane spotters are holding binoculars and pointing at the sky. Ask someone to do that and they will adopt the same pose and anyone else so that is fine The trick will be to point each little metal person in a different direction and no-one will notice.

My usual method for painting starts with superglueing each figure to a bit of wood. I've sprayed them with primer so the detail shows up. Those figures hidden in the train aren't as well detailed as those standing outside. Another sensible move really as you aren't going to see much of them in there.

Primer is from Modelmates and looking at the photo, I could probably give them all another shot to improve coverage. I don't want to hide any detail though so this will be adequate. Despite what people say, enamel sticks pretty well to whitemetal as long as they aren't heavily handled afterwards.

How big is the armoured train?

Chris asks:
I was very interested to read your latest few posts on the RHDR armoured train, partly because I have always been interested in it and partly because I have always had a hankering after doing some minimum gauge stuff in 00.

My much-in-the-planning-not-so-much-in-reality model railway Penlowry will have a section with Z gauge track (which is of course nearer to 18" gauge). Since it was going to be a simple out and back I was pondering how to do an automated train without having to go to a lot of hassle to automate a loco running round its train and recoupling - the RHDR armoured train solves that.

Anyway, point is, I have donor chassis, I've just done a bit of prelim research on what bogies to use for the wagons but I wondered if you could just give me a basic x-y-z dimension check of loco and wagon for me before I purchase one. I know this is a little cheeky but I don't want to fork out £30 just to find it is overscale and looks ludicrous on z gauge track.

No problem. The loco and carriages are 20mm wide. Length and height as shown below.

 

Hope this helps. I look forward to seeing the finished version!

Carriages with guns

The RH&DR armoured train packs a punch!

People who know about these things tell me the fat gun nearest the camera is a Lewis gun with the other one being a Bren. Not sure what the different or significance is but I'm sure you'd want to be at the trigger end rather then the other.

The Lewis is fitted to a pole so it can be swung around. The Bren is on a circular rail which I assume rotates. There is a fitting for a second weapon here, apparently a Boyes anti-tank rifle for when the Bosh are coming up the beach.

Fitting the guns is a superglue job. The Bren is moulded in to the soldier figure whereas the Lewis is a separate item. I've tested it with the figure and recon that the white metal support will bend to accommodate him.

(Information on guns picked up from the GnATTERbox forum)

Detailing the loco

The armoured loco looks nice but I felt, lacks the detail present on the carriages. Not to worry, I could do something about this.

Starting at the front, the central smokebox handle is a nice moulding with descent undercut (RTR manufactures take note, it can be done) but lacked the second handle - easily added with 0.3mm brass wire. Above this is a moulded handrail that went in the bin to replaced with a brass item. I think the "face" of a loco matter so don't mind a bit of effort.

A drill bit stuffed down the chimney opened this out - it wasn't blind but hole only extended a couple of mm. Now it goes a lot deeper as the resin is lovely and easy to drill.

The cylinder & valve gear covers were a separate plate on the prototype and while the moulded version was OK, thin plasticard is even better.

Finally, the casing is covered with prominent bolt heads. You need to be careful here as the original loco sported much chunkier lumps than the recent full-size replica. This gave me the opportunity to try out some Archer resin transfers bought a while ago.

These are 3D lumps applied on transfer paper. To use, cut them out of the sheet, soak them from the back and apply. A wash of MicroSol helps them stick to the body. A more thorough de-greasing would have probably helped further as I still managed to lose half-a dozen.

If you really want to go to town, cladding the resin boiler with think plastic or metal would be even better. The sheets on the prototype showed clear gaps around the dome and safety valves. I thought about his and decided against. Not sure if that was the right move. I did score the vertical line half way along the casing though so I'll let myself off.

Building the loco

The armoured locomotive is made up of large resin castings. A dry-build (posh term for putting the bits together without glue so you can take them apart again) revealed that the boiler unit sat on the footplate with a gap under it at each end.

Checking the base with a ruler confirmed that the boiler was the problem. Ideally I wanted to take out about 1/4 of a mm from the centre and leave the ends alone.

What I didn't want to do was make the problem worse by filing the bottom flat but not parallel to the top. Dragging it back and forth along a file sat on the workbench seemed to do the job. I kept turning the part over to see where the scratches were and make sure they weren't at the ends where I wanted to keep the material.

Another problem was that to my eye, the unit was very, very slightly too long. It's a snug fit up against the front of the cab so it's another spot where filing away and producing a wonky part is going to show, or at least take some filer work to hide the bodge.

Fortunately, I have just the tool. A pricey True Sander from North West Shortline, bought from EDM Models in a fit of enthusiasm. Basically, a masonite base with an aluminium block that runs back and forth with some abrasive paper wrapped around it. The important point is that the set-up keeps the sandpaper at 90 degrees to whatever is being sanded.

I took that picture by clamping my cheap compact camera between chin and throat. Not sure the proper photographers work like that but it went surprisingly well. And yes, my modelling bench is a mess. That's how I roll.

After this, the parts went together well with superglue and the loco looks nice. Sadly the shadow means you can't see the well detailed backhead, but the pipes and controls are all in there.

Carriages on "wheels"

Starting with, what we shall call, the carriages, there are some large mould runners on the underside of all the resin parts.

I trimmed these off with some flush-cut wire cutters. The resin is soft and they chew through it perfectly. Any leftovers were sliced away with a sharp knife and then sanded with an abrasive stick.

To be honest, it's all underneath so perfection isn't required.

The bogies are solid whitemetal castings. When looking to build a working model, I did find some Graham Farish wagons with the right sort of size bogies but these were on pricey modern PW hoppers (I think, it was while ago) although the container wagons could also have donated sets.

Assembly simply requires some superglue on the bogie and the wagon placed on top of this. The lumps sticking out from the centre well on the wagon are (I think) supposed to locate in to depressions in the end of each bogie but I felt they pushed them too close to the ends so lopped these off too.

Not owning an N gauge straight track, I Blu-tacked some flexi down between a couple of rulers and then set the carriage up on this to ensure the wheels were all in a line. I suppose a couple of screws or bolts could have worked as pivots but it didn't seem worth the effort for solid bogies.

A look in the box

The Sgt's Mess kit seems a bit of a bargain to me. The main parts of the train are cleanly cast in resin. Detail items are whitemetal, again, cleanly cast with no flash. A set of 7 nicely sculpted crew figures is also included.

Obviously the first job is to put the model together without glue. Just to test the part fit you understand and not 'cos I'm a big kid who likes to see what it will look like far too early in the process.

Some casting runners need to be removed (photo tomorrow) but this is the work of a few minutes. After this, all the major bits seem to sit together very nicely.

 

RH&DR Armoured train

With all the war time specials to be found in model railway magazines, it seems only appropriate that I do something on the blog. The problem is that I don't really do tanks and guns and stuff, not being a big fan of armed conflicts. While lots of people love all that stuff, I can't help thinking, "There but for the grace of god go I" on the basis that if born 70 years earlier, I'd have been spending time in a muddy trench rather than building model railways.

However, I can't escape entirely. While the idea of modelling the front lines does nothing for me, you can't really escape being fascinated by some of the equipment developed. Hobart's funnies for example, fascinating. Or in this case an armoured train - one that could very well have been right in the front line as it ran on the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch railway.

Manned by the Home Guard and armed with Lewis and Bren guns along with anti-tank rifles, the train fortunately didn't see action. This doesn't make it any less interesting. The idea of building a model has been one of many kicking around in my mind for years but things came together last year when I spotted a kit on the Sgt's Mess stand at the IPMS.

Initial thoughts centred around building a working model from the static kit. After an awful lot of digging through N gauge locos (the model is designed to sit on N gauge track, rather too wide for the 15 inch RH&DR but we'll ignore that) it proved impossible to find a 4-8-2 chassis with 6mm driving wheels.

Thus, the kit has sat around untouched for a few months. This seems a shame so I've decided to build it. If anyone comes up with a solution to the chassis problem, well a second kit won't break the bank, I'll have another go.