A Model Railway depicting Thurstaston station on the Hooton to West Kirby branch on the Wirral Peninsula

As progress has been painfully slow over the last few years, especially in getting any models to a finished state and photographed for inclusion in the Model Photographs page, I have started this separate page to show work in progress. As well as showing what I'm working on, it will show progress on some of the various items before they progress to the Model Photographs page .

Please get in touch if you want more information on anything here or on any other page.

	This is the body for 47627 awating the paintshop, like so many others. The basis is a London Road Models kit, with added details. The part in front of the loco is a representation of the slide bars and crossheads using a spare set of High Level brackets. The lower photo shows the completed loco and chassis, after the initial visit to the paintshop.
	The upper photo shows the modified Bachmann RTR body for my second Jinty, 47507.  This will work the goods train shown leaving West Kirby shortly before closure, and will also be a spare for the pick up goods. I've added the vacuum and steam heating pipework plus the bunker side change for the Vulcan Foundry build. The lower photo shows the High Level chassis, which is my first to have CSB suspension.
	This is the updated body for an ex-GWR 41XX now with the top feed and pipework, so just awaiting the paintshop. I have had a Martin Finney kit maturing for about twenty years, but saw this Airfix RTR body on eBay and thought it would be a quick build to give a second loco. After removing the plastic handrails, much other detail has been added, mostly pipework. The chassis to go with it is a Comet one with the rear pony replaced with a dummy radial truck. The initial plan was to have this as 5176 as it appears in the brief video at the head of the non-stop passenger in ex-works black with large early British Railways totem and a red numberplate.  Having bought a completed Martin Finney kit, this Airfix / Comet loco will now be a more workaday 4126. The lower photo show progress to February 2020 with painting to complete before adding the large early totem, weathering and putting the chimney top back on.
	Since getting the Martin Finney prairie, I've stripped the body paint and made the modifications specific to 5176 in my period. The main changes were to the ATC equipment and cabling, plus removing the bunkerside steps and associated handrails which were added later in the prototype loco's life.
	This is of the D109 Brake Thirds from the 4 coach B-Set rake. The basis is the Comet kit with some replacement and additional parts, running on Bill Bedford bogies. Since the photo of the whole train being tested, the bodies have been undercoated and one side sprayed cream, awaiting the chocolate.  The other side will be newer British Railways crimson.
	The first photograph is the body and roof of one of the D141 Composites after spraying with the cream. The other photographs show the two sides of the same coach in February 2020.  The first is the completed GWR side with lining and lettering done by Jeremy Suter.  I will tone this down to reflect a coach that is approaching time for repainting. The second shows the first British Railway Crimson livery with the numbers at the left hand end of the coach. The coaches will look a lot better with interiors and wheels.
	The underframes have a lot of added detail - 4 trusses, brake linkage, steam heating pipe with drain valve, replacement battery boxes.  The D141 composite is at the front, D109 at the rear.  The key differences are in the battery box positions and the inclusion of steps under the guard's door of the D109, which are in line with the dynamo.
	These opens will form the first two wagons of the 1962 final down freight behind Crab 42923; As such, they need to be sheeted but I need to complete the weathering of the bodies before fitting weights and the sheets, then fixing to the chassis. The left hand wagon is an ex-LNER 5 plank vacuum fitted open from a Parkside kit with a Bill Bedford chassis. The right hand wagon is a British Railways D1/048 shock open.  The body is from Parkside again, with an Exactoscale chassis.
	This will be the sixth wagon of the 1962 final down freight. The wagon is a British Railways D1/039 open and is the most recent wagon I've built. The chassis is my first Rumney Models wagon chassis, the body is from Parkside, with additional details such as the taupalin bar also from Rumney Models. The container is also from Parkside again.  I have added the rope hooks to the wagon solebar to allow the container to be tied down to the wagon.  This was not always the approved method of carrying containers, but there is plenty of evidence for it.
	These are a pair of Slaters kits with POW transfers, weathered and painted to represent pre-war private owner mineral wagons which have now been taken into British Railways stock and allocated a patch-painted P number but without being fully repainted.
	The first photo shows 2 out of 3 early 16T steel minerals being built from Cambrain kits. The wagon on the left is a rivetted LNER built wagon with replacement welded side and end doors. The wagon on the right is an ex-LMS D2109 mineral with original pressed steel doors and the addition of bottom doors. The wagon in the second photograph represents a ex-MoT British Railways diagram 1/102 mineral with pressed steel doors.  This will be painted in Ministry of Transport bauxite and lettered accordingly.
	These photographs show progress on the same wagons to February 2020. The first shows the MoT and ex-LMS wagons before weathering. The second shows the ex-LNER steel mineral with an ex-LNER 6 plank open from an ABS kit.
	The D1/107 21T mineral on the left of the first photograph is one of a pair being built.  One is for the 1952 through freight, the other for the 1962 final down freight. The body is from Parkside parts; the sides are from the PC32 kit for the 1977 rebuilt wagons, with the right hand side door put back in.  The chassis is the Bill Bedford one with some modifications to better suit the D1/107. The 8 plank 13T mineral on the right of the first photograph represents an ex-PO repainted by British Railways, another Cambrian kit. The second photograph shows both the 21T minerals, the darker grey for 1952 and lighter grey for 1962.
	The left hand van is from the Alistair Wright starter etch, made up as the LNER variant. I still need to roll and fit the roof before fitting the doors. The right hand van is a GWR vacuum fitted V33 mink from an ABS kit. W114671 was photographed standing in the goods yard at Thurstaston on the day of the RCTS Special in 1962 which is ample excuse to build it.
	The left hand van is an LMS Diagram D1832a unfitted van from a Cambrian kit. The right hand is an LMS Diagram D1978 fitted van from a Ratio kit.
	A Parkside Palvan to be added to the train of empty vans heading to the Cadbury's factory at Moreton in 1962. I remember seeing palvans going to Levers at Port Sunlight so had to have one. It is using an Exactoscale chassis.
	These wagons form the short train seen leaving West Kirby in summer 1962. The van is a GWR V23 mink from a Ratio kit. The brake van is a D1/500 brake from an Airfix kit.  This diagram was a very early British Railways design, and carried over many of the features from its LNER heritage.  These include: * Split handrails around the verandah dorways; * No handrail over the concrete ballast; * 2 lamp brackets on the verandah end; * Short running boards.
	This is a Pocket Money Kits LMS D1919 20T brake van with Masokits suspension. The plan is to have this as one of the brakes for the pick-up freight trains. There is a lot more weathering to be done as it represents a vehicle that has survived 3-4 years into British Railways ownership without being repainted into its new owner's livery.  Once that is done, it can be glazed and the roof properly fitted.  The chimney for the guard's stove is a brass tube that continues through the floor so I will just solder a washer to it from underneath to hold the roof down.
	This is another Pocket Money Kits, this time for the BR Standard brake van. This will be the other brake van for the pick-up freight trains. This represents an unfitted van built in 1950 to diagram 1/506 lot 2137.  As such, it has a number of early features including * Split handrails around the verandah dorways; * 2 lamp brackets on the verandah end; * 2 pane doors into the van section; * Side handrail above lookout. At the time I was waiting for the correct axleboxes and springs from Rumney Models before completing the build. I have another to build from a later lot which will have the later version of these features. The second photo shows the wagon in February 2020.
	This is the second Pocket Money Kits BR Standard brake van in the later grey livery for 1962.  It will be the brake van for the 1962 final down freight.