ChrisN

I thought things would be slow on the house, and they have been, but they are going quicker than I expected. Still, what I have not done is show you the progress on the Saloon Third. Remember that? It was ages ago I cut it out, and actually was a while ago when I did most of the work, but the pictures were even slower, but here they are. It was August last year that I showed you this. August 23rd to be precise. The laminates had been laminated and 10 thou x 10 thou rodding put on mimicking panels. It stayed like this for quite a while then I filed the ends to make a bevel and then fitted them together. It was not very precise. I then held them together in my magnetic clamps and applied Limonene. I waited and it worked. From the end. I tried filling the gaps at the ends between the sides with Humbrol filler, but when I opened it, all that came out was liquid, which stank. As my wife has insisted that I move my modelling desk into the warmth of the lounge, (here be carpet monsters), I put the top on rather quickly. It must have separated out, and I am not sure if I can shake the tube to mix it again. I will need some sort of filler to strengthen the joints. I then cut out a floor , and filed it to fit, then glued it in. Yes, I took the precaution of making sure I knew which way round it was. (What me? Glue it in upside down? As if?) The markings on the bottom are the centre line, the middle, where I got the middle wrong, and the position of the wheels. I had thought it would go on a Ratio chassis, but of course it is far too short for that, so it will be MJT W irons and homemade footboards etc. This is Z shaped plasticard, with one side nearly cut off except for steps below the doors. I have no pictures of this saloon in running condition, but other coaches of the 1860s on the Cambrian had this arrangement. I glued them in place, much easier as it is Z shaped. Of course it is better to remember that the buffers go all the way across before you do that but, as you see, it is not irreversible. The buffers are 4 x 2mm plastrut. Hope that is not too dark. The buffer positions were marked before they were cut off the length, drilled out with a 1mm drill, opened out with a 1.6mm drill and finally a six sided, or so broach used to open them still further until I could get the buffers to push fit. They will be glued in later. I am thinking about seats next, but there are some other challenges which I shall maybe mention the next time this coach is reviewed. When that will be I am unsure as it is done when the main project is drying, but as there are lots of bits, and you can do one while another is drying it may be a while. If you have been, thanks for looking.

This Web Site could be useful for fonts. I looked at it but all the fonts I have used have ended up being printed at 0.5mm so it really did not matter if they were accurate. You can search for all sorts of things, eg., 1900s. Someone else shared this which is why I have it, but cannot remember who, probably Mikkel.

I was looking at the horses. The one on the top does not seem very large, the second set I am not sure they are shires as they have no feathering on the legs, and I wondered if the last three were Suffolk Punches, as it is an Ipswich firm. I googled Suffolk Punch and in the images this one turned up, so three Suffolk Punches. I did start wondering about traction engine pulling one at Traeth Mawr, but I have seen no photographs of them there, so if I wish to add to the chaos of Station Road it will have to be horse drawn, although I too have quite enough horse drawn vehicles.

Mikkel, It is a shame about the Suffolk Punch being so large. The prototype grows no larger than 16 hands, I was quite disappointed when I got one as I have always wanted a Suffolk Punch as they are supposed to be smaller and chunkier than Shires. I probably have all of those and they are lovely castings. I have the donkey as well, and that seems a little large, but he had most likely just grown big and strong pulling the milk cart.

Mikkel, Wonderful. Step by step build and background information. No one believes us modellers when we explain the trials of having to please the little people, (and animals). I have never seen a yellow horse but I did see a program where they dug up a blond mammoth. I had seen the John Day figures before and umm'd and ahh'd about them. The GEM figures look interesting, but look a little thin. I probably should not get any more figures as I have a 'lot' to paint.

Very interesting again. I am quite glad that none of this is easily available to make in kits, or RTR stock, as I would have another layout on my build list. (If I ever finish the one I am doing I will be surprised.) If the stables are not shown, is it more likely that they are offsite?

Nick, Glad you have finished your Radiotherapy, you should gradually start to feel better. The bridge is looking good, with enough seating for a large crowd to cheer any vehicle on. 😄 Just noticed that the paint is Texas. How long ago did Texas go out of business? I might have paint that old but it has probably all gone hard. Will you need to sand the surface? It is difficult to tell from the image.

Apparently '"Penguins" is a recent slang term for those saggy or baggy or "falling down" pants'.

I thought at first it was a 2-4-0, as the coupling rod appears to stop at the front visible wheel, but the rod is divided into two, so it could be an 0-6-0. Also, the visible part of the loco is identical to a Dean Goods. The tender is GWR and not Cambrian. As to which one.......

I do love those coaches. 30ft 11 1/2" six wheel LNWR stock? Did you make those yourself?

Well Mike, another very interesting post. It is interesting how they ran the station. Not all of the departure lines have platforms. Did they keep trains there until a platform was free and move the train across then? The end loaded luggage wagons, were they loaded and then added to the train? Fascinating.

Yes, sorry, I should have said. To glue the random stone sheet to the foam board I have used both Limonine and polystyrene cement. I used both to see which was best, or if there was a difference, So two sides were done with each. The Limonene obviously dries more quickly and you have yto get the sheet on it quickly and it has to be accurate first time as it sticks immediately and you cannot move it around, which you can with the polystyrene cement. Both seems to stick easily well. As to plastic on the foam, I tried a sample using a cutout, and used both PVA, and a Tacky Glue, (Aleene's Original, Quick Dry Tacky Glue), and both seemed to do just as well. You need lots of PVA though.

Well, surprise surprise, I have done some more modelling, but first, it is said that all Physicists should have a six inch ruler. I did have one a number of years ago, but it disappeared, so when I went to the Model Railway show a few weeks ago when I saw one for sale, I bought it, along with a 2ft ruler as well. (I mean, you know how frustrating it is when you are measuring something that is about 330mm.) So, in case you have never seen one, here it is. You will note that it is not shiny, which is very useful when working under a bright light which I often do, Secondly, it has half mm divisions. You will note that the foot ruler below also has half mm divisions, but in a way that is impossible to read. I have found it very useful. So what have I been doing? Marked out on 5mm foam board, is Mr Price's house, and his neighbours. It is based on the house in Barmouth. The one at Barmouth had the Station Master's house on the right, and the one on the left was an exact repeat, it was not mirrored. This meant that the blank wall of the Station Master's in the middle was repeated on the outside on the left. This meant that the right hand house was 'posher' than the left, and so was let out to a Ganger. My house however will have the houses mirrored, so that they will be the same. My only problem now is, who to let it to? I had thought the local Signalman, but in the status conscious world of 1895, is he senior enough to have the same house as Mr Price? I had thought of a Traffic Inspector, but he would have to be back on the last train every day which would not be very late, although he could be out early in the morning. You might notice that there are mistakes in the drawings, which is not unusual considering who drew it. I also decided that I would have a foam board floor, so it is 5mm higher than just the sides of the house. This actually fits with a house that would have been built with ground floor joists, and not a solid floor. Windows cut out before separating the sides, I thought that would be easier. Interesting cutting foam board, as you need to be careful not to cut the foam deeper that the plastic coating. Random stone stuck to the cut out sides. I have used SE Finecast sheets for this house, rather than the Slaters Random Stone I used for the station, as the stonework looks different between the station and this house. Looking at this image of the house I am not sure the stones are really large enough, perhaps an '0' gauge version would have been better? I had the same feeling on the station, that the stones should have been larger. This house is not without its interesting points, by that I mean, things that should be straight forward, are not necessarily so. Cut out windows and lintels next, this could take some time. If you have been, thanks for looking.

How very, very interesting. I would have thought that the word 'box' would have meant a van, but no. Also, how would the tilt wagons have got on going 20 mph, or did they not go even that fast? Mind you, the picture of Paddington Station is very informative. Having driven around the area several times to say it is different would be an understatement. Just need to print them all now and make a railway. 😉

There is a printed 3D chassis that you can buy with the superstructure, and I probably have one. It is on my list of things to do, after the buildings, the coaches, and perhaps before the wagons.

@Edwardian and I were going to try and do a combined build, well he op 'norf, and me darn sarf, and do it at the same time but COVID got in the way. My preference would be to use a powered tender chassis with something like aa tenshodo spud, or similar, if they still exist. There are no RTR chassis to fit as far as I know..

Yes, it is a Sharp Stewart, and yes they had most of their locos built by them up until the late 19th Century. These were running until 1922, when the GWR took over. They were horrified and they soon met their end. 3D prints from @Knuckles, either his Shapeways shop, or contact him directly. (Usual disclaimers.)

Mikkel, Actually, I got it wrong. They are not soffits, they are facias. The soffits run from the downward facias to the wall. In my case they are imaginary. (Soffit is a better word though.)

Very interesting as usual Mike.

Finally a report on modelling. I have added gutters to the station building roof. I decided that I would use Ratio guttering as they were acceptable and not horrendously expensive. I know @westerhamstation would have used the folded edges of Weetabix packets. I looked at these and decided that they probably were not large enough. Now having used them once, I shall proabley have to continue with them for consistency. Shown is the gutter, and two strips of card, and a reinforcing piece of card. I realised that the gutters need to be horizontal, but the roof has no horizontal portion to it, so the piece of card on the roof is for the gutter to lean on. The soffit was then put in position. It was all glued with PVA. When it had dried then the reinforcement card was glued into place. I was concerned that the soffits were only stuck on where the supporting prongs from the gutters were, so was not convinced that they would hold very well without further support. Gutters in place. The other side. The soffits, plus the flashing. I have painted the soffits as well. I finally managed the flashing. The straight flashing was easy. The flashing down the chimney is the third or fourth attempt. I tried card and cutting it in situ down the brickwork, but it was too soft. I then tried cutting the card in step fashion and then gluing it, with PVA, but it was still too soft. I then took some more card, this time 2.5 to 3mm wide and cut steps in it. I then shellacked it. When I went to paint it, it had disappeared; no idea where it went. I repeated the process and this time was able to paint it with Humbrol 64 light grey. This time it was a bit hard, but I tried to wrap a small amount onto the roof. You notice that the flashing on the front of the chimneys is a bit long, that is because I had to cover the gap between where the bricks stopped and the roof started. I am not the only one with this problem. So, the roof is FINISHED! I would do this differently next time. I would make the bricks on the chimneys go further down below the sides, I would have some method of making a flat surface at the bottom of the roof to attached the gutters, and yes, finials, they should go on near last as I have managed to break one, and the bit has disappeared, I think I saw it and put it in a bits pot. If you have been, thanks for looking. P.S. The building itself still needs painting.

Nick, Glad to hear it is going well. I did wonder if it would make you tired. Trust me, it is having an effect. There are not 3ft thick concrete walls around a machine like that, or whatever they use there, if it was not able to give out a serious amount of radiation. Hope the new steam railmotor works out alright.

I must admit what you have done so far is quite impressive. I had not realised quite how big it was going to be. You have certainly made progress, I am not sure how long it took me to get my baseboards built, let alone the track laid. I assume that you have a nice flat floor so that you do not need adjustable feet, (on your baseboard legs that is). I read a notice once distributed by the Cambrian Railways, from about 1920. It was an encouragement to do better, and it had a list of Trains more than 5 minutes late, Trains more than 10 minutes late Trains more than 20 minutes late. There were quite a few in each.

Mikkel, An excellent build and commentary as usual. You made it to a tri-composite before me! All over brown would be easy but boring. I know, I can send you all mine that need painting and you can do them all together, like a production line. 🙂

All you needed to know about Victorian Sanitary Acts. Maybe not all. Sanitary Act 1866, Under the Act, overcrowding in residences became illegal and local authorities were required to take responsibility for ensuring sewerage systems were in place. This would mean that Traeth Mawr Council would have had to have a sewage system, perhaps even by 1867 when the station was built, even if the sewage pipe flowed directly into the sea, which it probably did. Public Health act 1872. (Note change of name, interesting in itself.) The Public Health Act 1872 established sanitary authorities in both urban and rural areas. These were to provide public health services and appoint medical officers of health. Public Health Act 1875 Authorities were obliged to provide clean water, dispose of all sewage and refuse, and ensure that only safe food was sold. It gave them the power to ensure that homes were connected to the main sewerage system. The Act forbade the building of new homes without such connection. If the 1866 Act said they had to have sewage pipes then what did they do with the sewage as they were not told to dispose of it until 1875? I have seen a photo of East Ham, I think in the 1930s but maybe later with an open sewer in the street. My dad lived in Hoxton and in 1917 contracted polio from a 'stream' at the bottom of the garden. I have often wondered, but only when it was too late to ask if this was a stream or a sewer. I understand that it was different in urban and rural areas. In the 1920s my mum was being brought up in a village in North Hertfordshire, and the water supply was a stand pipe in the street. So, the Railway Inn was on mains sewage from the start as so were the other houses in the road, and some had piped water from the start. This means inside toilets, not privies at the back of the garden. Where the toilet was at the start I do not know, although there are some buildings to the left of the house on the map. I assume that toilets at the bottom of the garden/yard were either rural or were for houses built prior to 1866. (Fascinating, this could be a rabbit hole, but I doubt it.) This is Barmouth, and the station is in the bottom right hand corner and the sewage outflow is in the top left. This means when I do my 'front scene' of the beach I do not have to include a sewage pipe. 🙂

When the railway arrived in 1867 the Town Council had the market square redeveloped and houses then gradually got built along Station Road between the market square and the level crossing. The first to be built was The Railway Inn, and gradually up towards the market. Somewhere in that the Methodist Chapple and Manse were built and an impressive house for the doctor. Other houses were then built towards the market. Finally in the late 1880s, the girl's school was built and opened. Now just found a newspaper article for 25th October 1889 about a proposed sewer outfall, into the sea of course, for Barmouth. Apparently there is still a lot of sewage going into the sea along that coast, according to internet headlines I have just scanned. Flush toilets it is then, but I do not recommend bathing, and is that why the herring and crabs' taste is so distinctive?