alancaster149
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I like both sets of buildings, Arthur K's and Rumblestripe's. It'd be hard to choose between them in a competition as they've got their own character and style. Arthur K's use of brick, and slate roofs, and Rumblestripe's use of Wills' Coarse Stone both deserve a 'First'
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Doesn't seem worth the effort to resuscitate ailing model businesses if the manufacturing base isn't up to scratch. You'd buy a name and nothing else. The Kirk kits would need to be updated, the mouldings on the Gresley coach kits spruced up. The last ones I bought - some years back now - I had to bin several components and replace them with either Comet or MJT ones (white metal/brass (etched or cast, depending what was available and what the components were for). Roofs were often replaced by Comet ones because the Kirk versions were 'lopsided', i.e., wider on one side than the other... Want me to start on the Coopercraft products? It would be different if quality kits were on the table, like Chivers Finelines. Parkside were snapped up quick enough by Peco, if only for the range of kits (some were dropped, taken up in the ready-to-run market such as the steel-bodied, high sided wagons built by the LNER and continued by BR, with timber doors). Likewise Peco snapped up the Ratio range and re-packaged them - as they did the Parkside kits - rolling stock, buildings/structures and signals, although they could've dropped them and left signalling kits to Wizard.
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Noted from Rails, the J27 has been delayed to January-March, 2021. In which case the J26 may be further delayed. Gives me more time to get the funds in place, in good time. (I've got a wish list as long as my arms, and that includes at least one more Peppercorn Class A1 and maybe an A3 with GN tender as shedded at Leeds Neville Hill - 50B)
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'Ainthorpe Junction' has made great strides, the double track main line has reached Unit 7 and I await just another package from Rails of Sheffield, with short Setrack elements and another medium radius left-hand point to complete.
Power clips have been attached on Units 5 and 6 for Bishopthorpe Goods and Livestock Yard (Unit 5) and the goods only Bishopthwaite Station (Unit 6), as well as on Unit 4 Ainthorpe Bank. Some DCC will have to be involved, such as for a banker on Unit 5 to back up heavier workings up the bank to the junction. I'll have to draw up a track diagram (as I've promised one to someone), although not necessarily to scale. The 'juice' has been applied to the coal depot and two roads on Unit 1 fiddleyard, the 'juice' tested by a pair of Hornby Class J94 0-6-0 ST's. Another dual controller will need to be bought in the near future to independently operate Bishopthorpe Yard and Bishopthwaite station, as the single unit with simulated brake has been applied to the coal depot.
More soon...
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I've been 'starved' of rail joiners - aka fishplates - recently and as Hatton's had three packets I'd ordered a while back and stored in my 'Trunk', notified by e-mail the other day, I thought I'd get them sent. It ain't easy. After following online directions and getting nowhere twice I thought i'd send an e-mail by clicking on their 'contact' icon . Andrew replied today, to tell me he'd got them going. The helpline is easier than following their directions. I'll get them to send the stuff straight away, sooner than have them fester in the 'Trunk'. No use to me where I can't get at them. Anybody else had the same issue? Alan L
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Note to the entry below: Got my Smith's 3 link couplings ready. In time I'll post images of the finished thing(s), weathered and all
TAFNF
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Well it's nearly here at last. Oxford Rail's presented images of the J27 in various guises, LNER and BR(NE). Can't wait to get my mitts on at least one, preferably two. There's a lot of choice of re-liverying to do, I'll probably go for the early totem, use 65894 for one - a York (50A) engine - and leave the other as West Hartlepool's 65837 as in the images from Hattonvery s. Cab detail looks good, very much the bee's knees (see image 2). Release date has been pushed back to 2020, which in a way suits me, although I'd have liked to have seen it earlier. At least I've a fighting chance of being able to afford two.
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I've been a bit remiss in answering queries or replying to comments.
In answer to "45568"(2/2/2012) the load in the Parkside ex-LNER Sulphate wagon was a casting, supplied by Harburn I think. The casting's a bit short and I modified them (I built two) by sawing off a few sacks and glueing them elsewhere on the castings.
"ColHut" (17/4/2016) I haven't got the wagons any more (sold them) so I can't take a picture of the underframe and brake arrangement. The levers were both sides (see Parkside instructions). The bogies were fitted by drilling through the floor, countersinking the holes and using brass 8BA screws with washers beneath the body. Bogies were weighted with lead for a smoother ride.
Alan L (2/10/2019)
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Morning Slow Through Thoraldby
alancaster149 commented on alancaster149's blog entry in alancaster149's Blog
Maybe we should press TMC to publicise their plans to bring out a OO Gauge G5 in the same way Oxford Rail and Hatton's did about the J27? I'd be first in the queue, and I wouldn't stop at one -
Morning Slow Through Thoraldby
alancaster149 commented on alancaster149's blog entry in alancaster149's Blog
Add a J26, a J21, N9 and B16/1 to the list... it goes on. Out of the hundreds of North Eastern engines still around in 1967, only two have made it, and one, the Q6 owned by NELPG has passed her 100 th 'birthday', the next up is the J27. NELPG's J72 is a 1950s build to Wilson Worsdell's drawings of the 1890s, and the K1 was built by North British in 1949. One of my pages on Hub Pages (see the link) is dedicated to NELPG passing their 50th anniversary in 2016, with a link to their web site. Considering their presence on the ground in the North East, the region is grossly under-represented in the preservation world, as are its railways. You'd never have known the first public railways originated in the North East from the number of lines still available to travel on. Dig a bit and you'll find cycle and footpaths, viaducts and overgrown routes across the region. -
Morning Slow Through Thoraldby
alancaster149 commented on alancaster149's blog entry in alancaster149's Blog
A lot of water under the bridge since I posted the last comment. The Engine Shed went to the wall a few years back, and owner Dave Haswell passed on after a heart attack I've been informed here by Andy. That's the last railway model shop you could visit in London that I know of. He'd been struggling for some time before he had to close, what with the demands Bachmann and Hornby made on minimum orders. Leytonstone High Road wasn't the best place for custom, although he had his regulars inherited from his predecessor (forgot his name, it's been that long, and he's passed on as well). On a more positive note, remember that whinge I made about the lack of North Eastern motive power? In the past couple of years Hornby has introduced the L1, the K1 and the Q6. Added to that Oxford Rail has the J27 'on the stocks' for October-December release, and I believe someone has the G5 planned (is it TMC?). All that's needed now is an A8 or D20 (preferably both). -
'THORALDBY' is no more, although the page is still there on Hub Pages (see profile page https://hubpages.com/@alancaster149). What's taken its place is the makings of a new layout, 'AINTHORPE JUNCTION' , here's a link:
https://hubpages.com/games-hobbies/RITES-OF-PASSAGEFORR
(it works, believe me, I've tried it - the people at Hub Pages amended it after it went belly up).
There are features on the page (that goes some way down) about some of the motive power that will feature on the layout when it's up and running. There are sketches I made in hospital last summer on the projected layout, lots of images from various sources including my own digital images. You'll see. What's more there's a bit about Oxford Rail's J27 due out October-December 2019. Another prayer answered, all I need is for someone to come up with a ready-to-run G5 and maybe an A8 or D20 (or both), Take a look anyway. Here's a view of the skew viaduct (modified Metcalfe) that leads out from Fiddleyard Unit 1
Alan Lancaster
12/8/2019
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Morning Slow Through Thoraldby
alancaster149 commented on alancaster149's blog entry in alancaster149's Blog
Model railway retailers are pretty thin on the ground in this part of the world. There used to be Hamblings in Cecil Court, WC2, Hadley Hobbies in Middlesex St near Liverpool St Station, Eames Models, Kings Cross, The Booking Hall near Goodge St, W1, Beatties (which then became Modelzone) on Holborn, W&H New Cavendish St, W1. Now there's only the Engine Shed on Leytonstone High Rd and he hasn't got much these days. We have to rely on mail order these days, not much fun in that, as you only get to see the goods when they're delivered. Or then there's the exhibition circuit.. -
Morning Slow Through Thoraldby
alancaster149 commented on alancaster149's blog entry in alancaster149's Blog
Well this is a turn-up for the better: Hornby's bringing out a Peppercorn K1 2-6-0 later this year (see my 'rant' above). I've been told it's just likely to spill over into 2015, but i've got mine pre-ordered through Hattons. Who knows, next thing there'll be an un-rebuilt Raven B16 4-6-0, a Q6 0-8-0 or even a J27 0-6-0 (what's next then, Bachmann or Hornby coming up with the goods? -
Grim-up-North; Goathland, Queensbury & Bradford.
alancaster149 replied to Sasquatch's topic in Layout topics
This looks a very workmanlike project. Looking at it - especially the close-ups - makes me green with envy! Mind you, just a couple of niggles. One - if you're looking for historical accuracy the footbridge you see there now wasn't installed until late on in the days of the NYMR. It was added as a solution to the problem of accessing the up line platform when there was a train on the down side. Before that - pre-closure in 1965 - it never really mattered because trains between Whitby and Malton/York were never long enough. Even in steam days the passenger workings only tended to be on average three coaches long. Later there were only two-car diesel multiple units (d.m.u's) that halted close to the barrow crossing that was also used for passengers from the village side. Two - generally Whitby engines in early BR days tended to be Class J24 for goods traffic, G5 and A8 for passenger workings down Eskdale and towards Pickering or Loftus (until closure in 1958). After closure of Whitby Shed in May, 1959 engines that worked down this way would have been Malton, Scarborough or York allocations. Every now and then specials came from further afield behind Black 5's, and although the length of these was probably more than Goathland's platforms could take, they wouldn't normally have halted here except on signal check. Class L1 wouldn't have been seen down here on local trains, as they tended to be Darlington allocations and returned there via Battersby and Middlesbrough. After 1958 passenger traffic down from Battersby was d.m.u, pick-ups would have been from York behind J27 or B1. Just thought this might be useful for you (shame to muck up the image with locos that wouldn't have run this way). TTFN alancaster149
