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About this blog

This blog complements my Pre-Grouping Blog by covering my modelling activities in the Broad Gauge era of the Great Western Railway.  As with the earlier blog, I intend to cover the various methods by which I construct elements of the Broad Gauge scene.  For more background see https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blogs/entry/17705-a-different-type-of-railway/

 

Entries in this blog

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Gooch ‘Prince’ class

In my previous post , I wrote about the unusual arrangement that Gooch adopted for the regulator mechanism on the first engines that were built at the new Swindon Works, where repair work started in 1843.   The first new engine to emerge from the works, in February 1846, was a member of the ‘1st Lot Goods’ named ‘Premier’. It wasn’t built completely ‘in house’, since the boiler came from an outside supplier. This was swiftly followed by ‘Great Western’, an engine with which Gooch inten
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Gooch Regulator.

Some time ago, when I made a model of Aeolus , I was very puzzled by the arrangement of the valve gear, which included a shaft running across the front of the smokebox. After further investigation, I discovered that this shaft was actually part of the regulator mechanism, which Gooch applied to some of the first engines built (or re-built) at Swindon, although it was soon abandoned. I never found out much more about it until recently, when a fellow Broad Gauge Society member pointed out that a d
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Recreating a Broad Gauge Train of 1838

It’s quite a while since I created my model of Vulcan, the first engine to actually run on the GWR. I wrote at the end of my blog post “This has been a journey of exploration for me into the earliest days of the GWR. I hope my readers will enjoy reading about it as much as I have enjoyed making the models “.   My 3D Printed model of ‘Vulcan’   At that time, I had no idea where my model-making was going to take me. I soon filled my shelf with 3D-printed early Broad Gauge en
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‘Thunderer’ – Part Three.

Constructing the engine carriage, described in Part Two, went much more rapidly than I had expected, partly because of that brief spell of hot weather, which kept me indoors in our shady living room. An advantage of computer modelling is that I could sit in an armchair with my laptop, with no need to venture into my hot workroom. One problem of working this way is that I can get so engrossed in working out the details that my wife has difficulty extracting me, to suggest that it’s time to make a
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‘Thunderer’ - Part Two

Before I started this model, I knew it was going to be peculiar but, as it has unfolded, I realise that I should have thought: “you just ain't seen n-n-n-nothing yet Here's somethin' that you're never gonna forget ”. How such an extraordinary machine, which ran in regular service for about a year, seemed to vanish from the memory so quickly seems surprising.   As I tried to make progress with my model, I had a lot of difficulty in working out a plausible configuration for the component
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‘Thunderer’ – Part One

Now that I have built several of the pioneer engines of the broad gauge GWR, including some of the more successful of the so-called ‘Brunel’s freaks’, and have also teased out the complexities of early valve gears, I have decided it’s time to tackle one of the two most freakish of the ‘freaks’.   I do not expect this to be a ‘quick build’, as there are lots of unknowns regarding the layout of these locomotives, as well as many complex parts to be designed and fitted but, following Mikk
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‘Eagle’ – modelling the running gear

‘Eagle’ was one of that group of early broad gauge engines that are frequently referred to collectively as ‘Brunel’s freaks’. In some cases this epithet was rather unfair and several of these engines went on to have long lives as branch-line engines.   After I wrote about my 3D-printed model of ‘Eagle’, @Lacathedrale commented on my photograph “Will you be able to retrofit the running gear to Eagle?”.  I agree that it does looks very sparse under the frames!   My 3D-printe
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North Star Gab Motion

Although most people know about Stephenson’s Link Motion, there was an earlier period when various different methods were applied to reversing a locomotive steam engine.   There is extensive information about many of these early methods in Clark’s book ‘Railway Machinery’ published in 1855. On p.21 Clark comments that “ln Fenton, Murray, and Jackson's first engines, four handles and a foot-pedal were provided for working them” The task of the engineman was eased by later systems, by wh
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Spot the Differences

The history books tell us that ‘North Star’ was one of two engines, originally built by Stephenson’s for the 5’ 6” gauge New Orleans railway. That order was cancelled and these engines – works nos.149 and150 - were snapped up by the GWR, desperately in need of reliable engines.   Several changes were needed to adapt these engines to Brunel’s 7 foot gauge. A sketch showing these changes was made in 1837, as shown below:   Copy of original drawing of Stephenson engines no
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North Star - a GWR Icon

Although I have written about the development of the Stars in an earlier post and have modelled several of them, as described in another post, I have not, for inexplicable reasons, ever modelled the most iconic ‘Star’ of all – North Star – the true ancestor of all the early Broad Gauge engines   In most respects ‘North Star’ had very similar dimensions to ‘Evening Star’, which was delivered around 2 years later. As regular readers of my blog will know, I construct most of my models by
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Pearson’s ‘small’ 4-2-4T

After dissecting the workings of the extraordinary 9ft. Pearson 4-2-4T engines in my previous four posts , I was interested to examine how these engines compared with William Dean’s later attempt to create something similar for the standard gauge.   To make the comparison on as level a playing field as possible, I looked up information on the slightly later Pearson engines fitted with smaller 7’ 6” driving wheels – similar to those on Dean’s standard gauge engine. I have previously mod
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Pearson 4-2-4T – Part Four

I ended Part Three with the prospect of modelling the many rods and brackets on the underside looming over me. I had intended to write more at that time but found myself struggling to understand how various parts of the engine fitted together. I think all the ‘easy’ bits have now been done, so I could no longer avoid the complex underpinnings.   To gain an overview, I ‘mirrored’ one half of the split plan-view from ‘The Engineer’ and then colour-coded various elements – blue for frames
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Pearson 4-2-4T – Part Three

By the end of Part Two , I had modelled all the most visible parts of the engine and felt tempted to stop there but many of the peculiarities of these engines were below the platform, so I had to keep going ‘down there’.   Photo by Snell of B&ER 4-2-4T No.42   Although I have collected quite a number of drawings and photos, there are still some difficulties in determining the layout of all the parts, especially since some drawings omit features and others show some
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Pearson 4-2-4T – Part Two

In Part One , I wrote that “this engine had several very unusual features” and, in regard to building a model, “I had to start somewhere and, with so many peculiarities, it was hard to choose. As a ‘gentle introduction’, I decided to start with the two bogies.”   I intend to continue, as far as possible, to follow a line of ‘least resistance’ but before going any further, I collected as much potentially useful information , photos, and drawings as I could.   In his book
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Pearson’s 4-2-4T – Part One

In a comment on my previous post @Mikkel wrote “I never know what's next on your blog Mike”. Actually, I feel much the same – I never know where a whim will take me next!   A week ago, the thought of a Bristol and Exeter Railway (B&ER) engine was nowhere in my mind and then @Annie posted some splendid photos of Pearson’s magnificent 4-2-4 Broad Gauge tank engines.   B&ER No.42 4-2-4T designed by James Pearson   It wouldn’t be true to say these engines hav
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West Drayton Coke Ovens 1839

Background   Almost 10 years ago, I made a model of a lime kiln as a ‘scenic accessory’ on my North Leigh layout. For some reason, I never wrote a blog post about its construction but did write a short article for ‘Railway Modeller’, published in November 2015.   I have, however, described how my model was based on the kiln at Fawler that originally had a siding from the Oxford Worcester & Wolverhampton Railway. Fawler is close to the real North Leigh, on which my pre-gro
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Paddington Engine House 1840

“Towards the end of July 1837 I heard that Mr. Brunel wanted some one to take the post of locomotive engineer on the Great Western Railway, and I at once went to him, on July 20th, preferring that department to railway making.”   Thus wrote Daniel Gooch about the event that changed his life when he was just 21 years old. As a result, he left Manchester and went to London, beginning his duties with the Great Western Railway at West Drayton on the 18th August 1837. Because no engines had
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Paddington Station 1840

Brunel’s great arched roof is to many people the epitome of Paddington Station but this was not built until 1854. The passengers who first travelled on the line from Paddington to Maidenhead, which opened on 4th June 1838, started their journey from a far less imposing structure – little more than a collection of wooden sheds.   A London terminus for the GWR was needed in a hurry, after negotiations with the London & Birmingham Railway for a joint terminus at Euston broke down. Wit
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3 - BG Wagons - Sheep, Coke, & Coal

I shall round off my modelling of the early wagons, produced for the GWR during the formative years before 1840, by considering three types intended for specific duties, rather than the ‘general purpose’ wagons described in my previous two posts.   Sheep Truck 1840   A sheep truck is one of the types mentioned in Whishaw’s ‘The Railways of Great Britain and Ireland’, published 1842. He described these ‘trucks’ as having high sides, four wheels, and to weigh 8,237 lbs. Apart f
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Broad Gauge Trio – 2nd Movement

In my previous post, I described modelling of some of the earliest wagons ordered for the GWR in the late 1830s. At that time, much of the railway was still under construction – the complete route from London to Bristol was not opened until 30th June 1841. Information on these early wagons is sparse, although we are fortunate to have several illustrations by J.C.Bourne, which are sufficiently accurate to indicate the main features.   Bristol Goods Shed – J.C.Bourne 1842  
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A Broad-Gauge Trio of Wagons

Following my stock review , I realised that, although I have quite a good selection of early broad-gauge carriages, there are relatively few examples of early goods wagons.   While thinking about the possibilities, I looked at the contemporary pen and wash sketch by J.C.Bourne, which shows three types of early broad-gauge wagons, including one with wheels outside the body sides and a tilt cover.     For more information and drawings, I turned to the invaluable set
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Taking Stock

On one or two occasions, I have received comments along the lines of “we want a layout”. From the beginning of my exploration of the broad gauge, it has been my intention to produce some sort of layout or diorama to display the various models of rolling stock that I’ve constructed.   Of course I already have a small layout carrying both narrow and standard gauge routes, based in Oxfordshire, towards the end of the 19th century. This layout continues to provide entertainment to my grand
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A Missing Link?

In my last few posts, I’ve been delving into the almost lost world of the early days of the GWR broad gauge. I notice that my previous post aroused little comment so, perhaps, I have moved rather too far from what most people think of as ‘railway modelling’ - but I do like using models as a way of improving our understanding of these early engines.  I do appreciate the various 'likes' that many of you have given me.   Before I move back into more familiar territory, there is one more p
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A Galaxy of Stars

In my previous post, I wrote that I needed to make a model of one of the longer-boilered ‘Stars’, to see if it made a better comparison with the photograph taken at Cheltenham shed around 1850.   According to the RCTS booklet Part Two, two ‘Stars’ were built with boilers that were 2 feet longer than the others – these were ‘Rising Star’ and ‘Bright Star’. We are very fortunate that E.T. Lane not only made several sketches of ‘Rising Star’, including end-elevations, but also produced a
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A Tangled Web

I’ve referred before to the problems that arise from using published drawings as the basis for creating 3D models of early locomotives. The usual dictum of “find a photograph of your selected prototype” simply doesn’t apply to the years before photography became established.   That leads to the next problem – so much of the information we read about early locomotives comes from books that were written decades after the time to which they refer. Even Gooch’s own ‘diary’ is considered su
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