Jump to content
Having problems logging in to RMweb? Read more... ×

Blogs

Stringfingerling's Blog
 

In and Out of the Tunnel

I haven't posted anything here for a while so, here are a couple of pics to be going on with; looking towards the tunnel mouth, and looking out from it. 
There is actually quite a lot of work going on to the left of the broken viaduct arch in the first picture. A slate works will appear in the background along with some rocky scenic developments around the short narrow gauge section. Pictures soon.
Dad-1's Blog
 

Things get left and lost

I know I'm not alone. Most of us start things that get left behind, sometimes for years while others get priority. Back in August when I took the clubs new layout home to work on it I'd already started a Dapol BR brake van kit. It has sat on my small 'coupling height' track section ever since, quietly mocking me. Well club layout gone, so time to finish ? Now added a TrainTech motion activated tail lamp. I can now finish if and when I find the rest of the kit !!   I'm struggling a little with the new format, I put the above in and lost my way. When I closed out I thought all would be deleted. However here it is when I come back, but I can't seem to find out if the pictures are still around ? I fear I'm an old bumbler, certainly not IT savy, hence hating change (usually just for the sake of it !)   Dad-1
Dad-1

Dad-1

0
Shelf Island

Kadee coupler installations

When I began to model in H0 scale I had already converted many of my 4mm scale models to Kadee couplers, and it seemed natural to me to stay with the Kadee for British H0. These couplers are more discrete than both the Continental hook and loop design and the British tension lock type, and there are plenty of varieties available to help installation onto models from different sources. You can also lift a model off the track without having to fiddle with its couplers. As far as I can make out, many other British H0 modellers also use Kadees, but maybe for different reasons. If you are thinking of trying Kadees for the first time, be aware that the magnetic uncoupling feature can cause problems with lightweight rolling stock, especially small open wagons - see Uncouplers for Kadee Couplers. You can, of course, use Kadees without remote uncoupling.   I use three different basic designs: The whisker coupler The whisker coupler with the 'scale head' The NEM coupler   You can get a narrower version of the draught gear box and this looks neater on some models, but I haven't yet found an application where I had to use the narrow box instead of the standard one.   The whisker coupler with the scale head is my favourite because it looks neatest, but it is only available with a centre-set shank. I end up using a standard head coupler when I need an over-set or under-set shank. The NEM version is a bit of an awkward marriage between a North American standard coupler (the Kadee) and a European standard coupler mount (NEM 362), and I often end up modifying the combination to make it work. Here are some of the coupler installations on my models, beginning with the easiest and working through to the more difficult ones ...   When the model has an NEM 362 socket on a well-engineered close-coupling mechanism, the NEM coupler plugs in and works well. The success of this solution relies entirely on a mechanism with minimal vertical free play, a snug-fitting NEM socket, and of course having the socket at the proper height:   When the original model has a tension lock coupler and this coupler is a flat one (not a cranked one) you can drill a small hole in the shank of a Kadee NEM coupler, cut off the two tails and attach the coupler to the model with the screw from the original coupler:   When you are making the model yourself or from a kit you can use some scraps of styrene to set the draught gear box for a whisker coupler at the necessary height:   On a Lima British H0 wagon, you can cut off the moulded coupler mount and level off the surface of the floor. If you have changed the original Lima wheels to something more "scale" with a 10.5 mm diameter, a Kadee draught gear box glued straight onto the underframe comes out the right height for a centre-set coupler.   For Lima Mk1 and Mk2 coaches, you can trim down the tails of an NEM coupler and fix the remains of the coupler into the bogie wit hot glue. The result is strong enough to hold a six-coach train together, but I don't like this method at all. Its only saving grace is you can swap the bogies to return the model to its original condition:   If you lower a Lima Mk1 coach onto its bogies (this makes the models look so much better), you can cut a slot in the buffer beam and glue the draught gear box onto the floor, and a centre-set coupler will end up the correct height:   When the original coupler uses a saggy NEM socket, some kind of rework is essential. For the Mehano class 66,  a styrene shim in the NEM socket and a strip of styrene along the valance keep the coupler at the right height:   The NEM socket on the NMJ Di8 moves away from its proper height upwards as well as downwards and I put strips of styrene both above and below:   For this Electrotren ferry van, I settled on a block of wood and a loop of piano wire to support the NEM socket. The floor of this model is made from a very hard steel sheet and defied all my attempts to drill it, so I used this block of wood to hold the wire, with the modification fixed together with Araldite:   I hardly ever use an over-set coupler, but it works for the Fleischmann Warship:   If you lower the chassis of the Warship onto its bogies, the model needs a centre-set coupler. Regardless of whether you lower the model, you have to grind some metal away from the motor bogie and shorten the draught gear box too:   The under-set shank is useful from time to time, such as on this Liliput chassis:   Some models come with a NEM 363 coupler mount. There is no Kadee coupler available to fit this mount, but AMF87 do a fret of adaptor pieces to build your own coupler. You take a Kadee NEM coupler, push out the pivot pin and then assemble the head onto the adaptor piece. I bought mine from A&H Models of Bracknell. This is all a bit of a fiddle, the adaptor pieces are smaller than you think they ought to be, but the NEM 363 mount makes for a neat installation and gives you an easy fine adjustment of the height of the coupler:   Very occasionally, a RTR manufacturer will provide an NEM socket as a drop-in replacement for a factory-fitted coupler. Roco do such a device for the early version of their English Electric shunter:   The most important things are these: (1) make sure the rear face of the coupler knuckle is in front of the buffers (2) make sure the sides of the knuckle don't foul the buffers on tight curves - you may need a coupler with a longer shank to prevent this (3) set the coupler at exactly the proper height - if you need to adjust the trip pin from its factory position you have probably got the coupler at the wrong height.   I made my own height gauge, I find this much easier to use than the Kadee one:   Above all: if you are intending to change the wheels of a model, do this before you set up the couplers :-)
47137

47137

5
pylonman's Blog
 

JLTRT Receivership

I've no intention of starting a topic which becomes a slanging match, so please resist the temptation to convert this blog into one.   I believe it would be appropriate to let others know how they'll be treated, under British Law, when a supplier they are dealing with ceases trading.   Some people will already know what happens, so this short blog is for those who don't know.   The following information is factual : June 2017 ; I placed a pre-paid order for a JLTRT Class 47 model paying the sum of £455.00.   I was advised that the 47/8 version would not be available until early 2018.   It was early 2018 when I became aware, through posts on this forum, that there was a problem concerning JLTRT.   At no time, did anybody have the decency to contact me, as a customer, to advise me the status of JLTRT.   I eventually found out the identity of The Receivers.   I have just received a letter from The Receivers, mostly asking me to approve their expenses of circa £8000, whilst a small section was devoted to remuneration of creditors.   Secured creditors are to re-imbursed at a rate of  100p in the pound. (Opinion : these are people who shouldn't be upset if continuing in the hobby)   Unsecured creditors are to be re-imbursed at a rate of 0.001p in the pound  (Opinion : that is the rest of us)   This means that, through no fault of mine, JLTRT have reduced my £455.00 to 0.455p .   The thing that is really bugging me is that there is nothing under Brtitish Law, that I can do about it.   I started proceedings through the Money Reclaim Service, against Waterman directly, but I withdrew as I was advised,  by people I trust, that I was unlikely to win the case, and I could face substantial expenses.   Unfortunately in this Country, directors of defunct companys' cannot be held responsible for the company's debts.   Many people will be aware that there are a list of models, advertised as " Ex- JLTRT"  or "From the JLTRT range" , being advertised by MM1 Models. These appear to be the same as the JLTRT models, but are now listed with an RRP of circa £699 !!!   All of this has left me with a very bitter taste, and has taught me a very valuable lesson : don't pre-pay for anything that is in a pre-production stage.   Regards Keith            
pylonman

pylonman

25
Shelf Island

Introduction to Shelf

Foreword   Shelf Island is the third autonomous island in Irish Sea, located roughly half way between the Isle of Man and Sodor. The island is a British crown dependency - a self-governing possession of the British Crown. It therefore has the same political status as the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey, and the Isle of Man. The island is usually perceived as the poor relation to its two neighbours, with an economy founded on the dismantling of old railway vehicles and the unregulated processing of industrial waste.   Map   This sketch has been compiled from various sources. The coastline is by courtesy of Random Island Generator 7, with the seed 942.8082867525518.
  The length of railway shown here by the thick dashed line was lost to coastal erosion and this necessitates the reversal of trains at Creg. See also General Arrangement.   A Brief History of Shelf   Historical records of Shelf are difficult to find, but we can see clear evidence of Neolithic settlement on the island in some standing stones on the Cronk promontory. The stones are a listed structure, and unapproachable except by climbing from the sea cliffs. Stories say, King Olaf II of Norway visited an island “near Ireland” and visited a hermit living in a cave; and the full name of the district is Cronk Noo Olave meaning “Saint Olaf's Hill”. For completeness, recent studies suggest the island in the story was probably one of the Isles of Scilly, but the name remains.   After the Dark Ages, fishermen settled at Keiy Pabyr (“Paper Quay”) and built a harbour here, and the island began to support subsistence activity again. The economy developed into agriculture, and also quarrying of building stone.   By the late 1890s, the construction of railways on the nearby Isle of Man and Sodor saw the island working as a staging post for commercial shipping. Modern ships could not enter the harbour at Keiy Pabyr, and the islanders built docks at the eastern end of the island. The settlement near the docks grew to become the capital of the island, and to be known as Shelf.   Keen to let nothing go to waste, the islanders built an extensive narrow-gauge railway using leftovers and spare parts from their two neighbours. The route began at Shelf, and progressed in the westerly direction to connect to Keiy Pabyr and from there into the hills to the quarries.   During the 1940s, the Admiralty sought out remote areas, away from centres of population but with good communications links. Shelf Island was ideal, and the Admiralty consumed the northern parts of Shelf with extensive munitions dumps, converting the railway here to standard gauge along the way.   The Ministry of Supply delivered an American class S100 steam engine to the island in 1943. The engine was found to be ideal in all respects for the duties expected of it, but nevertheless a rather larger S160 engine followed a few months later. The authorities forgot about the engines by the time of the D Day landings, and both stayed to spend their entire lives on the island.   During the 1960s, the World was gripped by a new age of innovation. The moon landings and supersonic air travel made copy for headline writers around the globe, but the discovery of Solvinium (atomic number 72, symbol Sv, and found only on Shelf) went unannounced. Put simply, Solvinium acts as a catalyst with liquefied industrial waste to extract numerous heavy metals especially palladium, cadmium and lead. The process of conversion turns any mixed slurry of unknown provenance into an apparently harmless liquid. Solvinium is extracted from the local mineral ore.   Efforts to build a Channel Tunnel in the early 1970s were halted under the administration of Harold Wilson. When the work stopped, the technology of the time and the availability of the workforce facilitated the construction of a Shelf to Sodor tunnel (colloquially known as “the Shunnel”) which finally opened to traffic in 1984. The tunnel is a single-bore affair, built to a Continental loading gauge.   During the 1980s, Shelf started a new trade in the disposal of surplus railway equipment. The economy truly boomed during the last two decades of the 20th century, with the unique placement of Shelf outside the usual regulatory systems allowing many obsolete, time-served and asbestos-ridden vehicles to be broken up cheaply and efficiently. In fact, the breaker has usefully put some of these wagons and carriages into service for the local government.   The fixed link through the tunnel is, of course, a standard gauge railway. The island found itself with three unconnected railways: the Admiralty system in the west, the historic and unique narrow gauge system in the centre, and the tunnel in the east. Soon after the tunnel opened, the island received considerable attention from heritage organisations when it lifted most of the narrow gauge railway and laid a standard-gauge system along the same route. Safety issues including curve radii, gradients and braking systems captured newspaper headlines for a day, but we must wonder if some kind of news blackout then happened because there is not a scrap of supporting evidence to be found online, and the newspapers concerned are difficult to find in public libraries on the mainland.   The dense urbanisation of modern Sodor forced all of the tunnel boring activities to be done from the Shelf end, and the huge amount of spoil extracted was taken around the island by barge and dumped to the south-west. This made a flat area of reclaimed land for an airport. Everything was on the up: hundreds of decommissioned slam-door trains to be broken up, a steady income from the waste reprocessing, and now the prospect of an international airport.   Unfortunately, the preparations for the airport had an unwanted effect. The south coast of the island has always featured areas of deposition to the west and erosion to the east, with the promontory at Cronk dividing and guiding the wave action. The tidal action is much like that on the North Norfolk coast, each side of Blakeney point. The development of a major land mass in the south-west magnified the effects of the wave action, dramatically increasing both deposition and erosion. By 2000, the island had gained an attractive beach near Fairport, but the winter of 2005 brought disaster when high seas washed away the coastal railway between Keiy Pabyr and Shelf.   The island government decided to abandon the plans for an international airport, and to use the money to rebuild the railway instead. They created a new rail link by tunnelling a new route, inland of the washout. Through trains from Shelf to Keiy Pabyr now have to follow a double-switchback route, but the short distances involved mean this is not a great hindrance.   The Island Today   Shelf International Airport remains a dream for the government and the islanders alike. The land reclaimed form the sea has been sufficiently fertile to build a grass airstrip, and a shuttle bus service runs from here to the railhead at Fairport.   The railway remains nationalised, in the caring if relatively inexperienced hands of the local government.   Quarrying activities continue, but primarily for Solvinium extraction not building stone (it is cheaper to import bricks nowadays), and so the economy of the island now concentrates on the reprocessing of waste products. Many of these products come from continental Europe, and wagons bearing the usual anchor symbol for cross-channel ferry traffic are a familiar sight around the island.   The Shelf – Sodor tunnel handles only freight tradffic, officially because it does not comply with a few safety requirements but in practice because two famous ladies named Annie and Clarabelle refuse to go anywhere near it. The tunnel does allow occasional and interesting trains to visit the island from places far away, and the annual National Day (early June) is a celebration of all things Railway.     This year (2012), the island is making some efforts to begin a tourist industry. This is seen as something of a challenge, and a good deal of tidying up is expected. In particular, Fairport has been cleaned up and visitors can enjoy the new beach and the nature reserve nearby.   A commercial shipping vessel makes a visit every week, while air traffic provides one or two flights each day. Imports include construction materials, fuel and food. Exports include processed railway scrap and of course the heavy metals.   The currency on Shelf is the Pound Sterling, and island enforces its own customs controls. Potential visitors are required to apply for a visa, and background checks will be done to identify people who reckon model railways should be totally prototypical. Rail enthusiasts are respectfully reminded that the quarries and the industrial areas in the east of the island (currently known as the experimental area) are strictly out of bounds.   "1 June 2012 ... errors and omissions excepted"
47137

47137

2
DBC90024's Blog
 

Window Shopping

Fast Forwards twelve months   The layout isnt anywhere near built yet, its frustrating, yes very frsutrating... and all the time, i am still keeping faith with the plan. Window Shopping is still as bad in 2019 as it was in 2018. The only difference is the goals are slightly different. Yes, a year later I have two DB 60s, two DB 66s (both now in the newer large logo DB livery which works so well)... having dabbled further with loco reliverying, and caught in the crosshairs of delays for the Bachmann Class 90, I really wish (#kickingmyself) that I hadnt been so trigger happy with letting four DB class 90s go soooooooo easily - grrrrrrr. Ok, so i may have got reasonable prices for them, but it's just disappointing. I guess onwards and upwards.   My goals for the next twelve months are to steadily grow my DB fleet, I have recently acquired 67018 in the maple leaf livery but whilst this livery is unusual, i do prefer the newer DB 67s with the railfreight slogans on them. Maybe I will have to do some wheeler dealer-ing there.   As for new models, a few other more pressing affairs are going to have to take over short term, but its my intention to acquire the new Hornby 87 in Cally Sleeper livery late in the year, and i still have a DJ Models 92 on order - I wonder if i can that to Cally Sleeper rather than DB.           There are times where I wish I had never got back into model railways.   Many times indeed   There is always something one wants...   So, i had my layout plans, they changed, my loco fleet changed accordingly, so i had a mixed ac fleet of mainly Virgin and EWS, i then moved on to DB Schenker and then post Schenker DB Cargo, is wher I am at, and it aint changing. So, I get to what is almost perfect for an AC fan, two EWS 86s, kept on, not retired as EWS did, sent back to Crewe for maintenance and taken out of possible scrapping - an imaginary team of engineers spending a day at freightliner Basford Hall seeing how they have kept their 86s going. So, the plan of EWS 86s is going to happen, then I come across the Heljan 86 - and at the same time as discovering this - Bachmann firstly, and then DJ Models announce 90 and 92 models - AARRRGGGHHHHH...   Soooo... wind forward to early 2018, and the loco plans for Johnson Street IEMD are as follows:   Class 86s
2 Heljan ones - one in Ex EWS DB and one in DB large logo - maybe 86261 and 86424 - depending on where these are now   Class 90s
5 Bachmann ones - 90019 DB Cargo, 90024 DB Malcolm (Pretty please Bachmann do this one), 90034 DB Ex DRS (reblown 66 sound, hopefully), 90036 DB (Minus Schenker) and 90037 DB Ex EWS   Class 92s
1 DJ Model - 92015 in DB red   Class 66s
2 Bachmann examples - 66002 and 66065 in DB Ex EWS (both sound fitted)   Class 60s
1 Hornby - 60100 in DB red (TTS sound fitted)   Class 08s
1 Bachmann - 08907   Long term possibilities
Hornby Class 87 - 2018 model - in Caledonian Sleeper livery
Dapol Class 88 - when they get round to it - in DRS Blue without all the logos
DBC90024

DBC90024

0
Inglethorpe Road Exhibition Layout
 

Inglethorpe Road Exhibition Layout

So with the N&SBLR board, No.4 completed for the Whitwell & Reepham Model Railway Club. Having completed this project, and my growing interest in the Wisbech & Upwell Tram Way, I've thought it was time to build a layout on one of the depots.   So far I've been looking into every book I hold and can gain information on this depot. I've yet to work out the correct, length, width or how this layout is going to form, as this was designed to have one siding with the ability to hold 40 wagons, which for an exhibition layout can be quite difficult if you are pressed for space, in which I certainly am. So I will be using a little of modelers license to shrink the layout to suit nicely. So the 40 wagon siding ability will reduce to about 15 wagons, which I think for a 00 layout is manageable.    Locomotives   Being a Wisbech layout the obvious traction will be the LNER J70, although purchasing a white metal or brass kit is a good way of showing your craft/skills, by building the locomotives, we will be taking the approach with Model Rail/ Rapido who have produced the 00 RTR model of the LNER J70 tram, thanks to club members the layout will be able to operate 1924 - 1946 period of running on the W&U.    We have as a group ordered and soon to receive   Pre - War   MR - 209 - Full Skirts Unlined - LNER - No. 7137  MR - 210- Partial Skirting Lined - LNER - No. 7139  LNER Y1/3 Sentinal Shunter - This will be renumbered to a Wisbech & Upwell loco Future Loco's can include the Y10 "Super Sentinal" War Time & Post War   MR - 206 - Full Skirts - War Time  - N.E - No. 7128  MR - 207 - Full Skirts - Post War - N.E - No. 8223    If further versions are produced fully skirted and lined, then the intention is to get a further few J70's to add to the fleet.    Wagons & Coaches   With traffic on the W&U being predominantly fruit traffic heading out of the line the idea will be to build a number of LNER Fruit vans from the Wills kits perhaps even using some of the RTR Bachman Fruit wagons. In addition, the club recently managed to get hold of the kit of the W&U tramway coaches. We have opted to build them and put them into the LNER condition which will suit the RTR models perfectly.    Trackwork   The track work will be a mixture of hand built and Peco's new Bull headrail. All point work will be either hand built or we will use the Peco Bullhead track work.    So I hope you are with me for the rest of this project and I look forward to seeing the interest in the build.      Sorry for the change in the name, but having my club meeting it was decided to change the name of the layout from Elm Bridge Depot to Inglethorope Road so the layout could be slightly different and follow W&U practices rather than being limited by the original. I hope this makes sense, as I think it will allow a bit more creativity within the group when working on this layout.      Cheers  Tom                      
Norton Wood

Norton Wood

6
Chris' Minor Blog

Tracking Progress

Evening all,
Three months later, whittling away the long winter evenings, pressing the soldering iron, files and brass gauges into action has meant that the pointwork needed for Callington has emerged on my workbench. Admittedly this has been a heck of a lot slower than it should of have been, as I have opted to use Laurie's 'fiddly,' chairplate system, rather than soldering the rails directly to the sleepers. It's a shame that the piece of hardboard wasn't wide enough to build the yard entry point inline with the remainder of the trackwork to make sure there isn't any kinks in it, but also as the exit from this is straight, there shouldn't be any issues with eventually getting it lined up on the baseboard.     In close up, this matches the easitrack plain track pretty well, but time will tell whether painting and ballasting will hide all of this work. Tweaking to allow a DMU to be pushed through nicely took some time, I should have really remembered that the switchblades would narrow the gauge when I was laying out the outer rails. As I'll be using the 'modified filmstrip' tiebar design, I've soldered on extra chairplates under the swichblades, to stop these from rising above the railhead height.     Best Regards,
Chris.
MinerChris

MinerChris

6
Shelf Island

TTA tank wagon

I see TTA tank wagons when I visit Ipswich station and look down on the refuelling point from the footbridge. The wagons always look like a tank with an underframe welded on underneath rather than a chassis with a tank sitting on top.  I have wedded a Lima tank to a Lilliput chassis to try to recreate this appearance in model form. The result is not a scale model but the proportions are good.   The tank for the model is from the 1970s Lima wagon:   The tank is almost exactly the correct size for a 1:87 scale model of a TTA - the moulding is about 1 mm too long, but most of the error is lost in the incorrect shape of the ends, so the cylindrical parts of the sides look correct. The diameter is 1 mm too big too, but I have masked this with the Lilliput chassis.   The chassis of the Lima model has the correct wheelbase and the two ends can be shortened to match that of a TTA, but is far too wide (it is based on Continental practice) and I cannot see a way to make it narrower. So I have taken the chassis from a Lilliput model:   The Liliput chassis is too short for a TTA and has incorrect details on the solebars, but the wheelbase is correct for a TTA and the moulding is only about 1 mm too wide. This millimetre matches up with the extra millimetre of the diameter of the Lima tank.   The brake end of the Liliput chassis has the correct overhang for a TTA, so at this end I simply removed the railings and cut off the buffers. The other end is too short so I cut off the whole buffer beam and lengthened the chassis and made a new buffer beam with some styrene. Then I added some Markits 4mm coach buffers all round - the buffer heads are probably over-scale for a TTA but I think they look better than the obviously under-scale Continental buffers from Lima and Lilliput.   The moulded data plates on the sides of the Lima tank have to go but I managed to pare these away and preserve the rivet detail underneath them. Then I cut out the bottom of the tank (I took out a strip about 12 mm wide) and trimmed down the two longitudinal flanges to let the whole moulding sit lower on the chassis, and so a mock-up of the wagon now looked like this:   I took the Lima ballast weight out of the tank and put in some sheet lead instead, and the finished model weighs 58 grams. I removed the Lima paint with meths.   The plastic of the Lilliput chassis resisted my usual solvents for styrene and the chassis extension kept falling off, so I added a piece of 0.25 mm styrene across the top of the whole chassis to hold everything together. This sheet being fixed down with cyanoacrylate. It was then easy to attach the tank. Then I added a walkway from styrene, ladders from an etch by Scale Link, and two tank fillers from a moulding of pipes and fittings by Knightwing:   The Kadee couplers have M2 bolts inserted with their heads countersunk into the chassis before adding the piece of 0.25mm styrene, this hides the heads. I am hopeful the couplers will withstand operations and not fall off.   I could not face mixing up a two-part primer for the ladder so I coated it with cyanoacrylate and let this dry. This works for me. Then I sprayed the whole model with Railmatch universal primer. The primer shows up some faults I can work on before further painting:   Parts Chassis: from Liliput 250 02 Wheels: Liliput originals Buffers: Markits MRBUFCR/B coach round buffer        
47137

47137

0
The M-K & Eastern RR
 

Part 53: tracks, lots of tracks...

I made an updated trackplan that is more accurate. The track laying is progressing. The tracks around Holy Cross jct are getting closer to being finished.... (yes, the town is named to give me some bonus points with my resident priest. It's not easy being a priests "wife" )   
M Graff

M Graff

0
TheRSR
 

The Bodmin & Wadebridge Railway

Although Oby (see previous posts) is bubbling away my main project is and always has been a layout called “Bosmelin” and it is this that I shall be progressing in 2019. I have found the history and operations of the Bodmin & Wadebridge Railway, which linked the two towns after which it was named, particularly interesting. My library of books about the line and related magazine articles has grown over the last decade while the release of several ready to run models that were prototypical to the line mean that making a model of the line is quite feasible. With Wadebridge at the western end of the line and Bodmin at the eastern there were  three other mid-line locations of interest. Travelling from Wadebridge the first of these was Grogley Junction where the short goods branch to Ruthernbridge diverged from the ‘main line’ – a generous description for what was essentially a backwater branch line. The next location was the Junction at Boscarne named after a hamlet in the Parish of Nanstallon. Boscarne Junction was where the B&WR coincided with a short branch line from Bodmin (GWR.) This facilitated through running from the main GWR Plymouth to Penzance line at Bodmin Road albeit with a reversal midway at Bodmin (GWR.) Linked to Boscarne Junction and effectively under the control of Boscarne Junction Signal Box was the third junction at Dunmere where the B&WR split into two arms; the one to Bodmin (LSWR) and the other to the goods only terminus at Wenford Bridge. As can be seen Boscarne Junction was a pivotal operating point on the line which had originally been opened in 1834 to transport sand gathered from the estuary of the River Camel at Wadebridge to a series of ‘wharves’ at various villages along the line. The sand was used by farmers and landowners to improve the soil in their fields and in practice was unloaded more or less where it was needed – while the wharves were used for other goods.  In the early days granite from the De Lank Quarry on Bodmin Moor was  regularly carried from Wenford Bridge – the blocks being conveyed to the terminus down an incline from the quarries. Later, china clay from the Wenford Dries just south of the terminus was the primary freight carried on the line – most being taken from Boscarne Junction along the GWR lines to the deep water port at Fowey on the south coast of Cornwall. In the early days clay was also shipped from Wadebridge and Padstow. Ball clay from the pits in North Devon also found it’s way over B&WR metals having been transported to Wadebridge via the North Cornwall Railway. The line from Boscarne Junction to Wadebridge survived as a freight only line until the 1970s after which the china clay from Wenford Dries became the only goods carried until the pits on Bodmin Moor were closed. Today the Bodmin & Wenford Railway Ltd – the principal standard gauge heritage line in Cornwall – runs trains between Bodmin General (ex GWR) and Boscarne Junction. Next time I’ll explain how ‘Bosmelin’ fits in to this.  
RichardS

RichardS

0
TheRSR
 

The Bodmin & Wadebridge Railway

Although Oby (see previous posts) is bubbling away my main project is and always has been a layout called “Bosmelin” and it is this that I shall be progressing in 2019. I have found the history and operations of the Bodmin & Wadebridge Railway, which linked the two towns after which it was named, particularly interesting. My library of books about the line and related magazine articles has grown over the last decade while the release of several ready to run models that were prototypical to the line mean that making a model of the line is quite feasible. With Wadebridge at the western end of the line and Bodmin at the eastern there were  three other mid-line locations of interest. Travelling from Wadebridge the first of these was Grogley Junction where the short goods branch to Ruthernbridge diverged from the ‘main line’ – a generous description for what was essentially a backwater branch line. The next location was the Junction at Boscarne named after a hamlet in the Parish of Nanstallon. Boscarne Junction was where the B&WR coincided with a short branch line from Bodmin (GWR.) This facilitated through running from the main GWR Plymouth to Penzance line at Bodmin Road albeit with a reversal midway at Bodmin (GWR.) Linked to Boscarne Junction and effectively under the control of Boscarne Junction Signal Box was the third junction at Dunmere where the B&WR split into two arms; the one to Bodmin (LSWR) and the other to the goods only terminus at Wenford Bridge. As can be seen Boscarne Junction was a pivotal operating point on the line which had originally been opened in 1834 to transport sand gathered from the estuary of the River Camel at Wadebridge to a series of ‘wharves’ at various villages along the line. The sand was used by farmers and landowners to improve the soil in their fields and in practice was unloaded more or less where it was needed – while the wharves were used for other goods.  In the early days granite from the De Lank Quarry on Bodmin Moor was  regularly carried from Wenford Bridge – the blocks being conveyed to the terminus down an incline from the quarries. Later, china clay from the Wenford Dries just south of the terminus was the primary freight carried on the line – most being taken from Boscarne Junction along the GWR lines to the deep water port at Fowey on the south coast of Cornwall. In the early days clay was also shipped from Wadebridge and Padstow. Ball clay from the pits in North Devon also found it’s way over B&WR metals having been transported to Wadebridge via the North Cornwall Railway. The line from Boscarne Junction to Wadebridge survived as a freight only line until the 1970s after which the china clay from Wenford Dries became the only goods carried until the pits on Bodmin Moor were closed. Today the Bodmin & Wenford Railway Ltd – the principal standard gauge heritage line in Cornwall – runs trains between Bodmin General (ex GWR) and Boscarne Junction. Next time I’ll explain how ‘Bosmelin’ fits in to this.  
RichardS

RichardS

0
Brassey's Blog
 

LNWR DX Special Goods update

There has been progress on things other than GWR too.  This Special DX featured early in the blog but stalled.  The London Road instructions highlight an error when building in P4 in that the valance can foul the wheel crankpins.  One recommended course of action is spacing out the valance further with spare fret from the etch.  It also suggests slimming down the Alan Gibson wheels at the boss.  I did both and still it fouled!  I resorted in drastic filing just to get it running which resulted in a non-prototpical curvy valance.     Having encountered a similar problem on a GWR Dean Goods build, I resolved to take both valances off and replace them with 0.8mm brass angle.  Before I took them off one-by-one, I soldered in a length of fret waste to hold the thing together as I feared the whole could buckle without the valance.  This shot shows the amount of fettling that went on too:     Here's the result which I am pleased to say now runs.       The kit was devoid of the blower valve casting which fits into that hole in the smoke box and is operated by the handrail.  John Redrup of London Road Models has since sent a replacement so I can now get on and fit both and hopefully finish this one off.  The tender is half-built somewhere too
Brassey

Brassey

2
Brassey's Blog
 

Dean Goods 2524

Chassis and wheels painted.     I am using components from the Finney Dean Goods to build this one which was designed to take a Portscap 1219 motor.  I have used the Brassmasters proposed replacement of a Mashima 1220 and High Level Road Runner plus with drive extender.  There is not much room to get this in particularly once you wire the motor! (I have since used thinner wire):  
Brassey

Brassey

3
rockershovel's Blog
 

6N time!

Always a look-ahead date in my diary, and this year has got off to a great start!    Quite what France thought they were doing on Friday, is hard to say. I don’t believe that even Italy have managed to go in at half-time, 16-0 up at home, and still lose. I’d always expect a strong second half with a burst at the last from Wales, and that was what we got... going to be a disappointing year for Les Bleus, on that showing. They looked good at times but that just isn’t enough at that level.    Scotland v Italy, Ho hum. Typical wooden-spoon decider, with Italy outlasting Scotland to run in a couple towards the end. Italy will get a pasting in Cardiff, on that showing. They will also find themselves facing a Twickenham crowd who regard them as having worn out their welcome during their last visit, and an England team who will be looking to rack up the points. They must surely be on borrowed time in the 6N...   Ireland v England, what an advert for the tournament. England outplayed a strong Ireland team at their own game. England, among other things, managed to keep the penalty count down to something sensible, although the yellow card was pretty stupid. Null points in Launchbury’s folder from Mr Jones for THAT little gem, I fancy.    The bookies have Wales to win by a short head, could be. Ireland were second favourites, but I’d say England have edged past on today’s showing. Scotland, who can say, but they will be interesting in Paris...
rockershovel

rockershovel

1
On Ravensers Bookcase

New Year's Resolutions, Part Umpteen...

It's that time of the year when I take stock and make a plan for the year - which then ignominously fails in the next 12 months.   Twelve months ago I decided I really would finish the Tourist Brake Third. And after a lot of struggle I actually managed it - though it still needs writing up here.   The Baby Deltic was another "promise to finish" - and lo and behold it's done. And written up.   There the good news stopped.   However I have recently managed to clear away a lot of obstacles to various projects, http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/296/entry-21655-retail-therapy/ so I hope there will be more progress in the year to come.   Work has actually started on the original condition NBL Type 2 diesel electric, and this is looking promising. I think I have all the bits now   (After that I can contemplate the task of putting a detailed Hornby 25/1 body onto a Bachmann Rat chassis, for a good mid 80s Class 25, but this isn't urgent)   The Ratio GW 4 wheel coach rebuild (to an engineer's tool/riding van) still needs to be finished, but should be a relatively quick project.   Now I have a replacement power bogie I hope I can finally get the detailed 155 up and running and (finally!) into traffic.   And with the damaged bogie of the Replica chassis repaired I can finish the 128 and get it into traffic as well. This (I hope) will give
me some better options for consisting Modernisation Plan DMUs - 2 x 2 car DMU is awkwardly long but 1 x 128 + 2 car DMU should be much more manageable. It will also bring the NRV and the GUV into play for operating sessions  
There are still a number of long-standing projects which need finishing.   The Airfix Trevithick kit proceeded a lot further before hitting a problem with a seized and sheered bit of motion. I have an idea about how to fix this , but I need to find the courage and the focus to do it.   Once other projects finished and the decks have been cleared I can restart the upgraded 142 which has been lying stalled in bits for a long time. This too would improve my options for consisting - and therefore the operating interest of the layout - if I can get it finished.   The two brake vans , long stalled, are somewhere down my list of priorities   But there is a lot to be done on the locomotive front in the next couple of years, turning projects, aspirations and materials already in hand into actual working locomotives.   Type 2s are likely to be the major focus . The Hornby NBL body is well under way, and all parts to finish this should be in hand. It might turn into a quick win I now have the second-hand locos to do a "high spec" 25/1 with a Hornby body on Bachmann chassis. The combined cost of these two should be around £125.- a new Bachmann 25 would cost around £145 at a box-shifter   Then there are the 31s. I have a roughly -detailed Airfix 31, with filed-off body bands bought for £15 second hand as a mechanism donor. Not that the Airfix mechanism is a wonderful thing. But the body is in fact salvageable - at least to my eyes - and I think I could strip , clean up and redetail it as a refurb 31/4 (Transpennine South, for the use of) with decent result. The target loco would be 31 462 in plain departmental grey, and I've ordered the PH Designs etch - which at least takes care of the biggest issue, the roof fan grill cowling   I then have the 1978 body I removed from 31 415; a secondhand body with body bands on but buffers cut off; and the wreckage of Hornby's 31 270, with Mazak failure and a blown circuit board. I got to it before the body split - but there's an issue. In my experience, the Hornby locos are track-sensitive, and my other Hornby 31 (31 174) does not like the crossover outside Platform 2 which forms part of the run-round loop. This means it is relegated to Loco Hauled Substitute duties , and is in fact my back-up 31 , whereas the detailed Airfix 31 415 is front line and handles engineers and parcels trains as well. I like good quality mechanisms with smooth low-speed running , but I also like locos that stay on the track. This means that the obvious approach to providing a decent mechanism - ie stripping out the Hornby mechanism from the unhappy 31 270 and installing it under something else - is problematic.   No matter how you slice it, I have 4 x Class 31 bodies and 2 mechanisms both with question marks against them. I managed to get hold of a Railroad 31 chassis frame - but missed out on unpowered bogies and couldn't find a Railroad motor bogie. I also missed out on Hattons cheap Railroad 31, though that would not have improved the chassis/body ratio. I do have a spare (second) Athearn PA1 chassis, but that doesn't have quite the right wheelbase /wheel size, and would mean cutting and shutting a Mazak chassis frame and a drive shaft, and converting to DCC.   And there is no obvious route to the missing bodyshell variants - a "skinhead" at any date, or of any sub-class; or the Golden Ochre Brush 2 (successively Stratford, Tinsley and Immingham in the 60s , and therefore suitable for Blacklade, an E.Lincs before closure project, or any transitional GE layout)   I shall be on the scrounge for cheap serviceable mechanisms at Stevenage . A donor loco with a wrecked body going cheap; a Lima motor bogie and bits capable of receiving a remotor ...   I also have a vintage Triang-Hornby 37, bought second-hand from a junk shop in Louth in 1978 for a fiver, and used on my teenage layout, where it ran like a dog - a three-legged dog with emphasyma. Mechanically it was - by a country mile - my worst loco.   It has so far failed to be rebuilt as 37 688 or a Baby Deltic because more promising donors turned up for less than 20 quid each . I have an Athearn PA1 chassis, and Dave Alexander replacement bogie sideframes - this time it's a cut and lengthen job. So the long term plan would be to redo it as 37 172 in plain BR blue, on PA1 chassis (not entirely accurate - but it's only a cheap old 37). This because in 1977 we returned from a scout trip to Guernsey via the 01:05 KX Leeds night train (only Deltic haulage I ever got) , changing into what I now know to have been the Manchester-Cleethorpes newspaper train at Retford Low Level at 4:30 am - hauled by 31 172 in blue.   There are all of the issues of stripping and cutting the Athearn chassis, converting it to DCC and the small inaccuracies in wheel size and wheelbase - but this would give me a decent-running 37 of an earlier vintage than I have and I could manage the bodyshell work.   And wild horses and red-hot pincers would not persuade me to put that wretched Triang motor bogie under a 31   Then there's the stuff I have but need to get working....   The 155 has already been mentioned.   There's a Hornby 29 I detailed up years ago as 6119 in blue. Looking at it with fresh eyes , it's rougher than I expect the new NBL Type 2 to be, and it has a 3 pole motor bogie converted to all-wheel pickup with Ultrascales, which will be an inferior mechanism to the new loco . It also needs conversion to DCC , and with the original Hornby Ringfield this is not a simple task. So I intend to delegate the job to someone else at Stevenage....   I also have a Bachmann 4MT 2-6-0 which is compact , has a tender cab and would be ideal for Blacklade's kettle period if I managed to install a decoder. I now have a suitable decoder.   Then there's the Bachmann 08 and original split-chassis 03 (both BR blue) which have been lying in the storage drawer for years because they need hard-wired DCC conversions. Those, too, need sorting out and getting up and running on Blacklade.   Not to mention a few running repairs to coaches, switches and the like   Another purge of the unreliable wagons in the Boxfile fleet might be in order   Some of the things on the bookcase have been unfinished for an appallingly long time. Pacer anyone....   I really mean to get stuff finished and into action this year 
Ravenser

Ravenser

0
Sudrian Histories

NWR No.901 'Revenge' - Info Sheet

FACT SHEET NWR No.
901 NWR Name:
Revenge Wheel Arrangement
2-8-0+0-8-2 Builder
Beyer Peacock, Gorton Works, Manchester, 1924 Class
Beyer-Garratt History Since Cronk and Maron are much higher than Suddery Junction near Wellsworth, the four miles at a ruling gradient of 1 in 45 have through the years been a testing ground for NWR locomotives. Bankers are stationed at Wellsworth specifically for this section. In 1924 the NWR ordered an articulated 2-8-0+0-8-2 Beyer-Garratt from Gorton, to do the work of two locos while requiring a single crew. The design was to use the wheels, motion and cylinders from ex-ROD 2-8-0s being sold as war surplus, enabling a commonality of components with other NWR locos. For crews, the Garratt was hard work. Lack of a mechanical stoker put a huge strain on the fireman. The enclosed cab, whilst a great help in Winter when the cold wind blows in from the Irish Sea, was a furnace in high summer. When compared to Gresley’s 6-cylinder Garratt, the NWR example was able to maintain a head of steam and occasionally worked service trains. Like most NWR goods locos, ‘Revenge’ was named after a warship built at Barrow, in this case the battleship HMS Revenge of 1915. The Model Hattons’ ‘Sale of the Century’ yielded a supply of cheap ex-GWR ROD 2-8-0 locos, the tenders of which ended up on the Woolwich moguls. The chassis found their way onto the Garratt.
I had to re-mount the motors so they sat over the centre of the chassis, thereby locating them in the engine units and enabling the boiler frame to sit over the driving wheels.
The boiler itself was also from Hattons’ spare parts department, a victim of Heljan’s burnt out motors and broken valve gear from the first production run of the LMS Garratt.
The engine unit superstructures were mounted on running plates salvaged from Hornby 8Fs I was cutting up for the boilers and cabs, with the bodies made from styrene sheet. Handrails are from Markits and the filler lids were salvaged from Great British Locomotives static models. Click here to see the thread.
Corbs

Corbs

5
Broadtemple
 

Broadtemple goods yard three way point

Time to try to cure the dead frogs in the Broadtemple goods yard. Just treating the three way point as two separate points has its problems.   The DCC Concepts website pointed me in the right direction for wiring 3 way Peco points  with 2 Cobalts  All wiring duly corrected   But one of the Cobalts is not moving  It is a Mark 1 and therefore about 8 years old  suspect it needs replacing    
barrymx5

barrymx5

1
Arrivals, Departures and Cancellations
 

Initial Track Plan

The freezing weather has enabled me to spend a few happy hours fiddling with track components in AnyRail.  This is my initial attempt - it seems to satisfy a number of criteria: a mix of urban and semi-rural double-track somewhere undulating terrain with e.g. a bridge interesting operation somewhere to shunt Any thoughts anyone?  
Platform 1

Platform 1

4
RobBrooks1's Blog

Bakewell Professional Photos

I had some professional photos of my Bakewell layout shot by Chris Nevard of Model Rail magazine a couple of weeks ago. These will hopefully be published in due course.  Needless to say, the quality is amazing  and I will be uploading some more photos in due course. The layout is coming along nicely with small cosmetic changes now being made. Next will be the DDC  concepts Mimic ground signals, signal box interior lighting and upgraded lineside fencing from Scale Model Scenery.  
RobBrooks1

RobBrooks1

1
Mookie's Blog
 

A change of heart towards Tender Driven Locos

As a child and as an adult, I've alway shied away from tender driven Locos. I've alway felt cheated, so I've avoided them like the plague. But this has changed my opinion. After reading Silver Sidelines post 'Mainline ex LMS 2P – worth a second look?' and recently seeing one perform on Chilcompton Tunnel I was impressed by it's performance.   So here it is, my first ever tender driven Locomotive. £31off Ebay (including delivery), a Dapol Ex-LMS 2P 4-4-0 – Even though it say Mainline on the base.   A few extras, real coal, headlamps and crew. The wheels have been painted, to tone down the RTR look.  And it runs a treat. Future plans is to convert it to DCC. Has anyone done this? Kind regards, Mookie    
Mookie

Mookie

2
Chronicals of Crymlyn 'A shop'

1143 at Graig Wen Loco.

Early evening at Graig Wen Loco and all the Boyos have gone home leaving 1143 to its own devices overnight.
Looks like Baldrick, the Crymlyn A Shop gofor, will have some more ashes to clear up in the morning! Administrator, why is only half the picture showing?
davey4270

davey4270

3
JZjr's Modern Image Blog
 

142 Upgrade

I've created this new blog to keep all of my projects together.  I'll continue to update my 142 blog but any other projects will be kept here. Click here to view the 142 upgrades blog.
JZjr

JZjr

0

  • Blog Statistics

    2,340
    Total Blogs
    18,676
    Total Entries
×

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.

  I accept