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'interesting', as in "may you live in interesting times"🙂 Trying to form a good 'picture' in my mind from the various drawings I have is taxing me at present - it's hard to interpret some of the oddities. Those pots over the driving wheel are indeed rubber suspension - they are on both sides of each wheel and I'm still puzzling over how it all worked.

Absolutely impressive that you were able to figure all that out Mike. As you say it makes you wonder how they assembled the locomotive in the first place with all those bits and pieces needing to be fitted together with no main frames for them to be attached to.

Thanks Mike. Good point about the note, maybe I should have left one in there! I should probably also have soldered her in place, rather than just superglueing. If she comes loose there is no way I can get in there, and I dislike loose objects that rattle inside. She may yet get her revenge!

The usual brilliance we have all come to expect. The ‘Salami Method’ is now a modelling phrase I will forever remember! I also can’t help thinking that one day, long after most of us on here have shuffled off this mortal coil, some future modeller will get their hands on this beautiful creation and, during restoration, will discover the figure within. But have you left a note in there to explain, I wonder?

Yes, it deserves the name on it. If you already have one of the HMRS transfer sheets, the name can be composed from the lettering - either the alphabet provided or from bits of the other wording. But it takes a bit of time of course.

I'm not sure one should read Pearson's baptism in the C of E as evidence of his not being a Quaker. Although Quakers did not practice baptism and were, with Jews, exempt from the Clandestine Marriage Act, 1753, which made marriage in the C of E the only legal form of marriage, there were all sorts of social and economic reasons for occasionally conforming.

Nice tidy job Mark, I must admit I preferred building an original rather than a soft Dapol one. https://www.rmweb.co.uk/blogs/entry/3019-prestwin-dear-packer-no-57/

I need to add the 'pots' for them behind the wheels, as on this drawing: I keep finding new things as I pore over various drawings. These engines really were peculiar.

The history of these engines has received extensive coverage in various issues of the BGS journal 'Broadsheet'. My fellow BGS member, Douglas S Johnson, built a model the hard way, using brass and nickel silver, and wrote a full description over two issues of the 'Broadsheet' in 2020. Concerning drawings, he wrote: "There is some dispute over the validity of some of the ‘original’ drawings - see ‘Nemesis’ in [Broadsheet] 54.30. This is understandable, as some ‘as-built’ drawings were issued by Swindon for the centenary exhibition, while others are B&ER drawings dated August 1852 — April 1857, together seeming to be the basis for the drawings printed in ‘The Engineer“ of December 1910. There may be no good reason to doubt the accuracy of these drawings, despite their various dates and provenance, as being a near true representation of how the locomotives first ran, or were intended to run.The photographs show some things otherwise. as should be expected given the rapid pace of development in that period." Douglas generously showed me copies of several of the early drawings, which were a great help to me in understanding some of the details of these engines. Mike

Incredible stuff! Keep up the great work.

Not quite a steam roller wheel, but there’s a bit of meat.

On he drawing of the suspension from 'The Engineer', the tyre width is marked as 6" (15.24 cm)

Thank you Chris - that's exactly what I am trying to do. I've started looking at the underside and it seems to have been an extraordinary assemblage of brackets with no proper frames at all. Quite a few early engines had 'structural' boilers. The 'Firefly' replica at Didcot had to include additional framing, to meet current regulations

My personal take home from this is to count my blessings. I'm fortunate to have room to build and leave set up a space for my own layout. @Keith Addenbrooke I think you get a lot of pleasure from assembling building kits. And this might feed into a working diorama approach. I particularly liked the large station building g you shared with us. Nice bit of work that. You've previously focused on the roundy-roundy style of layout. But thinking about what Mikkel has mentioned I'm wondering if a small (hinged halfway) FY to terminus layout might work...with removable buildings for compactness. Two 3' x 12"? Or a US-themed shunting plank with a hidden FY siding inside a low relief warehouse. Not forgetting that a small, nicely modelled layout trumps a large mediocre layout every time.

Thank you @Mikkel - for clarifying that I do indeed mean ‘no dedicated layout running space’. No self-respecting fan of micro-layouts can claim there’s no layout space at all, and your Farthing layouts / modules are a wonderfully creative application of the concept. The explanation in your comment of how you manage to arrange modelling practically is particularly helpful as a useful guide to minimising disruption to home life, thank you. A welcome aid to domestic harmony! The Model Railroader author and contributor Pelle Søeborg is another modeller who comes to mind who’s face the challenge and moved to diorama modelling. Steering my ideas back to micro-layouts would require some careful thought - the structures and trains I’ve been buying haven’t been collected with that approach in mind, but could be an option - perhaps alongside (or as part of) a portable layout? I certainly feel encouraged by the responses from yourself, @ian and @AndyB. Thanks to all, Keith.

Correct on both counts Mark along with boat and engineering works sounds, passing aircraft etc., I was a PITA as an exhibitor.

I have spent some time correcting the colour error - forgetting to photograph the trestle before gluing the loads on, so you will have to take my word for it - and wrestling with strapping (ironed flat embroidery cotton). I think this is as far as I will go with this one, and I am pleased with the overall look. However, I know what to do for a second attempt. The XVA arrives behind 73 005 on 6O73, the 09.00 from Willesden Yard, tucked behind the loco as it is passing through to Tilling Docks. The shunter emerges grudgingly from his new Bachmann hut. He has an hour to get the train ready to depart at 12.00 for the docks. And here is the back/non-public view. Note my indolence in securing the strapping ends just with a large blob of Copydex. Thanks for all your kind words of advice and encouragement, and giving this your attention.

Perhaps Pearson felt that he could try out a few ideas on a branch-line engine without the risk of too much exposure if some things didn't work out. The more extraordinary features were removed when the engines were re-built. Ahrons wrote: "In 1868-73, after an average life of about sixteen years, all the eight original Rothwell engines were scrapped, a fact which shows that they left something to be desired. Four new engines in which practically nothing of the originals remained, were built at Bristol in their place." The date on The Engineer illustration I showed is incorrect for the original engines (as shown), which actually dated from 1853.

One fact that seems to have escaped mention is that when Dean built this 'narrow' gauge 4-2-4T, seen by David Joy in July 1882, there was a former B&ER broad gauge 4-2-4T still running in original tank engine form as GWR 2005 (formerly B&ER No.12) This adds strength to the argument that Dean was exploring whether the broad gauge design could be carried over to the 'narrow' gauge. According to RCTS Part Two, No.12 had a total wheelbase of 25' 1" and 7' 6" diameter driving wheels. As GWR No 2005 this engine was not withdrawn until December 1885. There is a photograph in the BGS Magazine BROADSHEET vol.48 (Autumn 2002)

That is interesting. The Cambrian were using 4-4-0 for their passenger expresses from 1878, but express might be typed 'express' as they went nowhere very fast.

At the time it was the norm for express engines to be 'single wheelers' - probably because really accurate alignment of coupled wheels for fast running was still difficult. The GWR persisted with 'singles' later than most and built rather too many late in the 19th century.

My original model has conventional bogie arrangements, with the Tenshodo drive unit in the rear one. It even copes with my small radius curves!.

I find it interesting that they went for bogies but retained a single driving wheel. It would be interesting to know their thinking. Still, the Pearson one is quite beautiful in its own way.

If you've used bearings, and you're feeling brave, you can resolve this with a soldering iron. Put the wagon on a flat surface, identify which bearing needs to be adjusted down (you only need to adjust one side of one axle) and then remove the relevant wheelset. Warm the iron and then touch it to the bearing, applying gentle pressure in the desired direction until the bearing just starts to move in the softened plastic. Remove the iron immediately and assess whether the wheels are now closer to level. The plastic will reharden quickly so you can have another go if things need further adjustment. Don't dwell with the iron or the plastic will melt all the way through to the front of the axlebox. It's a method of last resort but I've found it works if done with care! I had to do it on on one or two Dapol cement wagons with the soapy plastic.

I shall have to make some simplifications but I expect to print this as a 'mantlepiece' ornament.

Interesting and very educating, I knew nothing about these engines. To be fair Mike it isn't only you that is trying to piece it all together. The whole idea of rubber sprung flangeless drivers has seen me scribbling a few thoughts out, I can't help but feel that any sort of sharp curve would be a problem.

One wonders what was the basis for the 1910 The Engineer drawings. E.L. Ahrons had been a Swindon apprentice in the 1880s, so may well have had access to first-hand information about these engines.

Thank you Mikkel. Yes, the appeal of this type of modelling is that it is cheap and occupies the mind. As I say, I was inspired by the Geoff Kent book. Having said about the cheapness, I am thinking of getting some "croesnewydd" transfers made for it. I know Geoff hand paints his lettering!! Never going to happen!! :-)

I enjoy making these kits, but have found the issue with "soft plastic". Out of the three I made, one only ever has three wheels in contact with the rails, which results in it derailing regularly. That really put me off making more, but I'll keep an eye out for original Airfix kits at future shows (though I'm not sure the decals will have aged well)

Theres two aspects strike me, first off the bogies are mounted in ball and socket joints, with no allowance for any sideways movement. This means any sideways displacement on a curve has to be met by the driving wheels, and any movement there looks to be blocked by the suspension arrangement. Hence the need for flangeless drivers, but the tyres don’t look especially wide. It must have been very tricky to run over any restricted point work. Then there’s the rubber suspension, which looks as if it’s applied to the bogie wheels as well. Getting the weight distribution set up is bad enough on an ordinary engine with leaf springs and adjustable nuts on the spring hangers, quite how it was done on this one would be a challenge, to put it mildly.

Well I thought I'd finished the PWA, but as I was fitting the excellent railtec transfers, using Humbrol DecalFix (which is a first for me and found it much easier), using the reference pictures on @hmrspaul superb site, I realised the underframe has plates over some of the gaps. Just contemplating to try and use painted inkjet acetate sheets.... The bogies supplied seemed to be too narrow so have used English Steel ESC-1 from the N gauge society - which I don't think are 100% correct, but they'll do for me

That really made me smile Mike. Plainly the rubber suspension must've worked, but how well and what maintenance issues there were with it would have well and truly lost to the mists of the past by now I suppose. At least there is the sectional drawing in The Engineer as a reference as without that much of these amazing engines construction would be a complete mystery. It's most certainly doing that, - excellent work Mike and I'm looking forward to further developments.

Again very interesting. I wonder how many other models actually replicate how the prototype was built?

Morning Andyman, What with Sir David quotes and the history of Rosebud I better not give up the day job. Thanks for the history and the Pathe News film. I never realised that Rosebud eventually moved to Wellingborough. Thankfully the range of OO kits which made it into to Airfix/Dapol ranges are a blessing for modellers today. Cheers, Mark

Thanks @AndyB and @Phil Parker. From memory, author Nigel Adams was a Vicar in Coventry. I remember going to a model railway show they put on inside his Church (I think there were half a dozen layouts, all O Gauge / Scale). I seem to recall he was also involved in the Talyllyn (volunteer guard?). I did have a copy of the book, must have been twenty years ago now. Melbridge Dock is an excellent example of a small layout that has stood the test of time. Not sure I’ve seen a plan for Wyandotte Transfer before, but it was another well-known layout back in the day: I think it was featured in “The Encyclopedia of Model Railways” sold as a Marks and Spencer “St Michael” book in the late 1970s / early 1980s. Thanks Andy - two very good examples (and a good cake joke too), Keith.

Ah yes. A small dockside layout. Keith could have his 🍰 ...and you'd eat it. 🤣

Lovely wagon builds! As something of a KItmaster/Airfix enthusiast its' worth pointing out that Airfix did not take over the Kitmaster company, nor did the latter go bust. What happened is that Rosebud, having overextended itself with their railway plastic kits, sold the tooling to Airfix and withdrew from that market. They carried on with the Rosebud dolls and other sundry products before being taken over by Mattel. Indeed, if you are lucky enough to possess any original UK market Hot Wheels cars from the late 60s, you will see the maker's name as 'Rosebud Mattel', although the cars themselves were made in the US or Hong Kong (the latter normally provided the UK stock). It wasn't long before consolidation saw the final closure of the Raunds facility and whatever Rosebud DNA remained was subsumed into Mattel. Here's a 1968 Pathe film of the Raunds factory making Rosebud Mattel dolls: https://www.britishpathe.com/asset/55852/

That Dockside layout on the cover is excellent... 😁

"...I could see if a Minories-type terminus / FY might be possible,..." Other track plans are available. 🤣 You might like to take a look at this book. A lot lof interesting micro plans, UK and US outline. As for the switching layout this one came to mind...from the 1977 MRC exhibition. I'm certain there's a layout out there for you. And, as you say, a new home nay inspire you.

Thanks @AndyB - exactly the kind of ideas I’m already having: Definitely on the list for consideration: something I could tackle in either Narrow Gauge H0e or early-era German H0 with what I already have (previous pictures refer). I’m reminded of the ideas a few years back for IKEA Billy-bookcase layouts. For a larger project with my big kits and longer trains, I could see if a Minories-type terminus / FY might be possible, or at least a working diorama rather than a shelf display of stand-alone buildings? (As you say, I do enjoy making structures). …perhaps like this one, which I have in stock - when built it is 19.5” long, enough for a couple of boxcars to be hidden: In my break today I’ve spray painted the parts of this kit to get it ready for assembly. It wouldn’t take long to get started, as despite several rounds of clearing out and slimming down my collection(s), I still have the buildings for a US switching layout - add a transload / team track facility and there’s more than enough for a portable Inglenook: My first task though is to put the brakes on - even with the busyness of Easter, this is the stage in the ideas process where I can easily go in to hyperdrive: with almost 50 years of studying track plans and ideas to call on I’m already generating too many ideas - it is settling on something that is genuinely practicable and seeing it through that needs consideration. Knowing me, I’ll be tempted again by smaller scales, even though my exploring has proved H0 gives me a nice balance when it comes to the proportion of modelling time to be spent on the frustrating fiddly bits (every scale has fiddly bits). Z-scale remains enticing, but as I struggled with some of the detail in N (esp. couplings), I need to be disciplined / realistic about how I’d fare when things started to break on a Z-scale layout (static model shown here with H0 Sam): My hope is that moving house and starting with a clean slate will give me the incentive to change my thinking about what will satisfy me as a layout project(s) - to match that with what I will actually have storage space for. There is certainly much to be said in support of your final observation: Very true - there are some fantastic small and micro-layouts around. Once we get the keys to our new home (which should be soon), I can try and turn the excitement of new opportunities into project ideas - all being well, that’ll be what happens next, Keith.

Hi Keith, some remarkable buildings to be seen here, the Grain Elevator not least! I went through a similar downsizing exercise some years ago when we moved to a 91m2 flat, and if by "no space" you mean no dedicated layout running space then that's been my situation for 5 years now. I've been pleasantly surprised by how quickly I adapted. To give you an impression of how it works: I have a desk in our living room and some shelves in a cupboard. I can fit a a light (foamboard) layout on the desk and the larger table top layouts go temporarily on the dining table (which can be extracted for greater length). I use water based paints, non-odour glues, plus a handheld vacuum cleaner and a wet cloth to constantly remove plastic dust from filing etc. We do have a small attic space two floors up where I store the layouts, but for convenience I usually keep one or two of the layouts in one of those plastic boxes that go under the bed. If you keep the structures detachable then they can go in the cupboard and the layout module will be flat enough to fit under the bed. It does require a small-layout or modular approach of course. And it probably helps if you're the kind of modeller who likes to work on just one or two projects at the time on your desk. With your interest in structures, that seems to match though. Although I admit it would be hard to fit the grain silos under a bed - and that it's a bit more complicated when there are kids around!

The other great advantage of the original Airfix kits is that they cost less than the soapy flash infested Dapol version, £1 upwards from exhibitions! Mike.

Thanks @AndyB, the outhouse has proved useful. The baseboards I brought with me sat untouched in the garage for a couple of years after we moved, until I began my Great Western Adventure(s) during the 2020 lockdowns, and I realised the outhouse was the perfect workshop for spring and summer. At the new house, I’m afraid the garden is very small, as the house is on a corner: in the old days that would have meant a house with a big garden and plenty of room, but now it means two houses squashed in with small triangular shaped rear gardens meeting at the point instead. There is a shed already (for garden tools, etc) and a conservatory, but not room for another shed. As I’m no gardener, we’re OK with this, but an outdoor layout isn’t really an option, Keith.

I'd dropped hints that I was thinking in this direction when I commented on your blog. It's going to be a tough build but the bogie has served to get me going.

Sleeper: GBRF:

nice work

Next up is a 2 piece kit which I purchased from Shapeways back in 2018 according to my emails! No longer available, but just required a clean up and then painting. Used Halfords rattle can white primer, then masked of and hand painted the brown with humbrol matt enamel 186. Needs a bit of touching up before I give it a coat of gloss and then apply the Railtec transfers I definitely have, followed by a coat of matt. This wagon will accompany a quartet of Revolution IWA Cargowaggons as they did towards the end of their lives, as can be seen in this photo Daryl Hutchinson 47446 approaches Abbotswood Jn with 6M34 1455 Bridgwater - Ince UKF service 9/5/89 from Flickr

Here is the Blue Peter lobster!

Out of period but for inspiration 🙂 I have noted "Ascot" with this photo (no date).

The flush glazing has certainly lifted the vulnerable Airfix model. Nice finish and weathering effects to.. Cheers, Mark