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A most implausible arrival


Mikkel

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One of the reasons I chose to model Farthing was the rather unusual combination of stock sometimes seen in that area. In this case, East meets West as the thoroughly Cornish 0-4-4T No. 34 heads a train of Holden 4-wheelers from the Metropolitan area. A highly implausible combination, especially during this period and in this location! Above, Driver T. F. Oberon eases the branch train into the bay, while Fireman R.S. Peaseblossom is looking desperately for his lunch bag.

 

 

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The branch train comes to rest in the bay. It is seen from the alternate, non-viewing side of the layout, with the sky edited in. The coaches are an All Third to Dia S17 and a Brake Third to Dia T59, and consist of Shirescenes sides on modified Ratio underframes. They are approximations as the ends are only 5 panels wide in order to fit the width of the chassis, whereas in fact they should be 6 panels wide. I wrote up some building notes here.

 

 

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A closer view of No. 34. This loco was originally built and owned by the late Dave Perkins, with whom I shared an interest in Edwardian GWR. I hope to make a separate post showing some of his locos later on. No 34 was built from the old Albion (now Roxey Mouldings) kit, and is the only pre-owned loco I have that did not require some form of repair or repaint when I took it over.

 

 

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No. 34 has run round its train and is shunting a horsebox off the branch train and into the horse dock. I haven't fitted Sprat & Winkle couplings to this loco yet, so am using screwlinks/3-links and the Big Hand from Above to work it. Not easy when you have to reach over the canopy.

 

 

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Ganger P. Quince watches No. 34 shunting. Not an easy man to impress, he is nevertheless captivated by the unusual branch train today. Meanwhile, a bit of grass conveniently grows at the base of the water tower. Not that it is hiding a gap, of course!

 

 

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A classic platform cameo, as we take leave of No. 34 moving past in the background.

 

Edited by Mikkel

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  • RMweb Gold

Mikkel.I like your storytelling.How do you think up the names for the figures ? Delightful.

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  • RMweb Gold

Hi Robin, in this case the names are from A Midsummer Night's Dream. Not to make it fancy, but simply because it is a good source of whimsical/characterful names smile.gif. The story telling is just to add the human element to the layout, and a bit of fun.

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...while Fireman R.S. Peaseblossom is looking desperately for his lunch bag.

It looks to me like he thinks he might have shovelled it into the firebox :rolleyes:

 

Really enjoying this, Mikkel. It's great to see detailed shots of these lovely models and I, for one, am more than willing to turn a blind eye to your cavalier approach to mixing attractive prototypes. Who knows, one day I might finish something and be able to compose shots and stories like these.

 

Nick

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Wow! All these elements - disparate as they were in reality, come together to make a superb, almost perfect scene. You know that I'm a proponent of having the platform in front of the running line with all the attendant view-blocks, but I really like this view from the non-viewing side too.

 

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Dave at Roxey is threatening to release the 0-4-2T in 7mm, and it's going to take a lot of willpower to resist. Holden's carriages have become like old friends; I had correspondence totalling several dozen emails earlier this year, in an attempt to unravel the actual carriage numbers in a single set running on the Widened Lines c1890-6, just before the sets were broken up and reformed with a number of them rusticated and/or rebuilt.

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Hi Mikkel,

 

What a superb set of pics. Like Buckjumper I love that last shot, the colouring and attention to detail is spot on to my eye. The painting of the fiqures is really top class and captures the character of the individuals.

 

Can I ask where you got the platform lamps?

 

Geoff.

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  • RMweb Gold

It looks to me like he thinks he might have shovelled it into the firebox rolleyes.gif

Well I'm sure it must have happened once or twice biggrin.gif. He is of course in the regular fireman's "furiously shovelling" position, which isn't too realistic in this kind of setting. But I haven't had the heart to replace him just yet, as he came with the loco that Dave Perkins built.

 

 

Dave at Roxey is threatening to release the 0-4-2T in 7mm, and it's going to take a lot of willpower to resist.

Go on, you know you want to biggrin.gif And the rest of us would enjoy watching the build here on RMweb!

 

Holden's carriages have become like old friends; I had correspondence totalling several dozen emails earlier this year, in an attempt to unravel the actual carriage numbers in a single set running on the Widened Lines c1890-6, just before the sets were broken up and reformed with a number of them rusticated and/or rebuilt.

Yes I understand they had a complicated history. I wonder if you happen to know about the set that worked the Faringdon branch, which consisted of two Hammersmith & City coaches, combined with what I think was an "ordinary" All First 4-wheeler (Dia U4 I think)? I have been trying to figure out when they were introduced on that line, as I thought it would be nice to replicate the set. Stephen Williams mentions in one of his GW Branchline books that they worked the branch "for at least forty years", but I am not sure about their date of introduction?

 

 

Can I ask where you got the platform lamps?

They are from the old Mike??

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Stephen Williams mentions in one of his GW Branchline books that they worked the branch "for at least forty years", but I am not sure about their date of introduction?

The last steam-hauled GW services on the City lines were 1905. The introduction of new Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan electric stock at that time made some of the 23 sets of Holden City stock surplus to their original operating role, with most of the surplus probably re-deployed to the Birmingham district. They finally disappeared from the London scene c 1922-1925 following the introduction of the toplight bogie City stock. If the Faringdon specimens worked the branch "for at least forty years", then I guess the most logical date of their introduction to the branch would have been c 1905.

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  • RMweb Gold

Many thanks Miss P for clarifying this. For some reason I assumed that it was only the earlier 8'-wide, single-arced roof vehicles that were redeployed beyond London around 1905, while it didn't happen to the 3-arc types until later (1925). The photos of the set at Farthing shows they were of the three-arc types, and so I was puzzled by the fact that they seemed to have been there for 40 years.

 

But your description clarifies this. As far as I can see, this means that there is a prototype for running a couple of Metro brakes sandwiching a Ratio U4 round about 1905. (although the Metro brakes at Farthing are clearly of another diagram than the Shirescenes T59, but I could just live with that, as long as the basic consist is the same... ).

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Thanks Missy smile.gif .

 

I would like to get better depth of field in some of the photos, but it is difficult when also using the "macro" function which enables the camera to take really close-up photos. Plus the camera I am using is a small cheapo one, although the small size does come in handy for taking photos from akward angles (I simply set it down on the ground and click in "big hand from above" style).

 

I'd like to experiment with the image overlaying that Chris Nervard and others have discussed previously to get perfect depth of field. So much to do and so little time unsure.gif .

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I'm sure the deployment of the Holden stock and their 8' wide predecessors was a lot more complicated than the brief picture I've painted, and I don't suppose we'll ever know the full detail of how they were cascaded down to other services and districts as newer stock came on stream. Non-corridor clerestories for example were numerous, and would have been increasingly used on suburban traffic as they in turn were superseded by corridor stock. Whatever way one looks at it, using Holdens in a non-London modelling environment is perfectly valid in my view, and hey, it's your model railway.

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Thanks for the update, Mikkel.

 

Certainly as good as expected and well worth the wait. Your choice of Code 100 trackwork is simply inspirational and demonstrates nicely what can be achieved with a little care and attention to detail and, of course, heaps of talent to boot!!!

 

Please would you kindly treat us all to further pictures of this wonderful model including some close ups of the trackwork? Even, perhaps, from above?

 

Well done, Mikkel.

 

Kind regards,

 

Jonte

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  • RMweb Gold

Hi Jonte, many thanks for that. Close-ups of the track, well that made me flinch for a moment, since it's Code 100 biggrin.gif .

 

Anyway here's a couple of shots. The rail is as high as the Berlin wall, but it still looks better from the side than from above, I think. Which is fortunate since the layout is designed to be viewed at eye level height! The setting in a bay area/yard has allowed me to "bury" the sleepers, and I've weathered the track in almost the same shade as the ballast so it doesn't stand out in a different colour. The ballasting was briefly described here. The top of the rail looks partly wheathered too in these photos - but it's not of course, must be a trick of the light.

 

 

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The major compromise is the pointwork though. This really is hard to disguise as being anything other than, well... wrong! But I somehow manage to disregard it. Us humans can get used to anything smile.gif.

 

 

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Dear Mikkel.

I have just enjoyed a wonderful harlf hour reading through your Farthing blog. A fantastic atmospheric journey. Your ideas and modeling ability are inspireing.

Craig.

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Hi Mikkel,

 

thx for the photos which you've reinstated, a blessing indeed. I'm interested in your classic platform cameo, where did you source those excellent gas lamps?

 

Regards,

 

Colin

 

 

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  • RMweb Gold

Hi Colin,  the lamps are from the Mike's Models range - unfortunately now discontinued. The glazing is rather thick so I have later modified some of them, as seen here:

 

 

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