steveNCB7754

Hi all, just looking for some guidance here, although I almost started this with, "I have friend who thinks he might want to model in OO9" (LOL). Am starting a 'scoping exercise' for a possible layout, combining OO scale (Standard) gauge running on a secondary line, that also interfaces with a small OO9 narrow gauge 'feeder'. All this is/will be largely fictional, but based on a location (or a combination of locations) that I am familiar with here in Mid-Wales. All my previous experience has been with standard gauge modelling (OO, plus a small amount of O Gauge). We are now in an era, blessed with a proliferation of RTR OO9 locomotives and rolling stock, with more to come it seems. Whilst I am not ignorant of full-size narrow gauge practise, my knowledge of the OO9 RTR stuff is certainly much less than for OO. Q1. Are all RTR OO9 locos and rolling stock physically compatible with each other (not withstanding whether the real prototypes would have run together)? So do they share a common ('standard') coupling and even if 'Yes', do they work well enough to undertake shunting operations (without intervention from 'The great hand in the sky')? Q2. Following on from that: Would it be reasonable to say that, despite whether it is physically possible to run any particular item with another, that in reality, certain coaches, wagons, etc., would only have been seen behind certain types/sizes of loco? As an example: my gut tells me that deciding to run a (relatively large) PECO OO9 L&B coach, behind a (relatively small) Bachmann Baldwin 10-12-D Tank loco, is a mis-match (even if physically possible), but equally, a small OO9 box van behind a Heljan L&B 2-6-2T, is going to look silly? Would appreciate your thoughts, before I stupidly start buying things I cannot (in the present 'crisis') physically go and see/compare. TIA Steve

You are absolutely right, I had misunderstood verbal info I had been given about the location of the bridge. Old OS mapping, does indeed show that the road turned sharply westward, as it came down the from the north. Then, it followed the 'rear' of the embankment (in front of the old school - now a private home) and then turned sharply south under and through the bridge set in the embankment. So the actual bridge was nearly at the west end of the village, West of St Curig's church, and so NOT behind the 'Blue Bell' Inn.

Whilst blue is my favourite colour (and I did like the lined BR express passenger blue livery that 'Tornado' appeared in), I must say I do like the WHR Maroon and Black with Yellow lining round the Maroon. The old LT Pannier scheme (with red side rods) was attractive as well, so no pressure!! ;-)

You'd be very welcome, so lets hope that 'normal' gets a move on! Steve

Yes, a friend and I walked that bit of old road a few weeks ago, until the gate at the side of the 'new' one at least. One image I cannot find, is a view of the original railway bridge which took the line from Llangurig station (or the site of it anyway) westwards over the road leading north to Llanidloes (so behind the 'Blue Bell Inn'). I'm sure someone told me that the bridge was only finally demolished in the 1980's, so you'd think there would be some (pics) about. The place I've retired to, is just behind the PO/Village stores and the previous owners left a framed print of a photograph hanging in the hallway. Taken from somewhere up that way, looking back down on the village, the embankment and road bridge are still there, but it is too small to make out much detail (I took it out of the frame and scanned it and discovered that the print itself, is of a scanned photo, so that doesn't help much either). Might be that its a scan of a photo someone in the village took, all those years ago.

Merry Xmas and Happy New Year to you too Jonathan. Was in Newtown myself last week, having the car serviced and a new battery fitted. Dropped it off (as requested) at Charles Humphrys at 08:15, and he said, "That'll be this afternoon then". So I did a great deal of walking (total of 5.7 miles) and sitting and eating, in and around the town that day! By the time I got to pick the car up at 15:10, I had pretty much exhausted the cultural highlights of Newtown! (LOL) Keep safe, one and all. Steve

Yes, as 34006 has indicated, if you were to visit a Crèche you would probably find a lot of Crepe all over the place!! ;-0

Mr Ed?? ("A horse is a horse of course of course...") Showing my age now (of course) ;-)

Working firebox doors - pah! (child's play). Now, working gauge glasses ('water level' goes down over time and you need to use boiler water feed via DCC to keep it 'in the glass'), now that would be impressive, if not a little annoying after a very short time!! LOL Yes, the future of DCC - you let the level in the boiler get too low and the DCC decides the fusible plug has gone, 'dumps the fire' and refuses to let you run the loco until a considerable period of time has elapsed. Welcome to the (un)real world ;-)

You are right, they are fantastic images, but I would suggest that these are 'promotional' images (possibly all taken on the same day), showing the loco 'as delivered' in fully-lined out livery. Vivian & Sons Swansea, was a Copper smelters (or similar), so I can't imagine it would have stayed that way for long, in such a working environment. Indeed, later photos of, say, 'N0.12' at GKN Cardiff Steelworks, show a much grimier engine, although the lining can still be made out. Images of both the Baddersley and the Sneyd Collieries locos too, all seem to show them in less than pristine condition, once in 'proper' service. Have also found an image of V&S No.10, in photographic grey livery, so I imagine these (then) new types of industrial locos were being heavily promoted by Beyer Peacock at the time, hence the 'photo-op' images at one of the first customer's premises.

i was intending to ask a similar question a while back, but thought I'd wait until Simon had tested (and perhaps posted a video). Am interested to see (hear?) whether the sounds of the engine units go in and out of synchronisation, as on the real thing. According to the YouChoos website; 'Sounds are genuine Garratt sounds, albeit a different type of Garratt (from South Africa) but tweaked and blended with LMS 4F sounds such as the whistles'. Have listened to the sample file, but it is difficult to tell (about the synchronisation). EDIT: On this chip's detail page, it further mentions that the sounds used are from 'Modified Bulawayo Garratts'. Also, I now see that you can choose between two types of the same DCC sound chip; 'Traditional (with conventional throttle braking) or 'Immersive Drive' (with 'Active Braking' key, on F2).

Outstanding! Lets hope we'll all be marking dates of exhibitions on our copies in 2021 :-)

Very nice. Particularly like how the detail extends 'beyond' the bridge.

Hi Simon. Have been giving this some thought and I wonder if it has something to do with 'Saturated' vs 'Superheated' steam. Assuming it is a supply to the reverser (seems likely, I agree), this is a saturated steam boiler as far as I can see (whilst it has top feed, there does not appear to be a superheater unit in the smokebox, else there would be an operating rod going down the side of the boiler to operate it. The reverser is also a unit that does not 'do' a great deal - its not constantly in motion, with live ('hot') steam passing through it all the time. When required, steam is released and it moves the gear, forwards or backwards, and then sits there again until the gear needs 'notching' up or down again. All the while it is sat there, the saturated steam in the line is potentially cooling and condensing back into water, which might be a problem the next time you want the reverser to do something. Maybe they tried a steam supply from the turret/backhead in the cab originally, had problems, and had to go for getting the 'dry-est' steam they could find (with the shortest possible 'run'), which was directly from under the dome? Steve

Very envious of the G1 QJ - just in a plain case, or will you mount it on a simple diorama/scenic track section?

Well, it depends how it was done. I have no experience of the specific (coated?) steel corrugated profile they used in your case, but I do have experience of designing/putting up 'Big 6' corrugated cement/fibre roofing, in an agricultural setting. In that case, the roof pitches are steeper than yours, but even there, the 'Crown Pieces' (corrugated ridge sections) interlock with the roof sheet corrugations and there is a mastic seal laid between them (and between adjacent roof sheets). Without it, the wind may blow rain water back up under the sheets and thus into the building. Yours has a flat ridge profile (over the corrugations), so did they use some sort of moulded profile (which we cannot see) between the roof sheets and the ridge pieces? Otherwise, with such a low-pitched roof as yours, water could very easily be blown back up the roof and enter via the ridge (which you have now insulated the underside of).

Very nice indeed, but I have a question. That is a very shallow-pitched roof, so how is the corrugated join sealed under the ridge pieces (especially considering you have now insulated the underside)?

Perhaps you only got colour poster/photographs in First Class (black & white for the 'Plebs')?

We've all 'been there', as modeler's, at one time or another. Towards the end of my last aircraft modelling period (some years ago now), I couldn't decide which of two 1:48 scale BAC Canberra jets to model, so I decided to do both - at the same time! Made sense - any faults or corrections I found during the build, would get done there and then and I used the building of two, to justify building a jig to get the wing dihedral angle not only correct, but the same on both models. Eventually though, having to do everything twice (including scratch-building missing detail and non-standard fit parts) got to me and they never got beyond closing-up the fuselages and fitting the wings and tailplanes. They ended up in a large box, when I decided to give aircraft modelling a break for a bit (years ago now and they are still in there). Took a quick look in the box the other day, after I retired and moved to (not so sunny Wales) - I see that one of the cockpits has split open along the glue seam, I just hope that it has been caused by mechanical/heat+cold stress related issues, and not something 'chemical' going on! Next time, I will build one and leave the other for another day (that's if I ever get back to aircraft modelling, of course). 'Keep the faith'

Great work Phil, but at this rate, it might have been easier to build a full-size one!

Thanks. The Scimitar is/was also on my list to do, but I think we are all (still) waiting for an injection-molded example in 1/48 scale (rather than the now aging vac-form that was/is available). Obviously, for a Scimitar, you also need several 1/48 scale, old style, metal dustbins to collect all the oil drips coming off the airframe! Steve

Hi Chris, Post-war FAA aircraft are an interest of mine as well. Before I got the railway modelling 'bug' again, I had previously returned to my first 'love' (aircraft modelling) but now in 1:48 scale (so nearly O-Scale!), rather than the 1/72 kits of my childhood/youth. My aim was to build the aircraft used by the FRU/FRADU (Fleet Requirements Unit/Fleet Requirements & Air Direction Unit) out of Hurn (now Bournemouth Airport) and NAS Yeovilton - I lived in Poole at the time. Did not get many done, but the ones I completed, appeared here; http://hsfeatures.com/features04/seahornetf20sn_1.htm http://hsfeatures.com/features04/seahawksn_1.htm http://hyperscale.com/2010/features/tsr2whatif48sn_1.htm The latter (the last model I completed) is a 'What-If' diversion of course! I also reviewed several books about FAA aircraft that came out at the time, on the same website (won't put the many links here, you can find them on the site if interested). Still have a pair of Canberras (one to be a target tug, the other to be an RAE example in 'Raspberry Ripple' scheme) packed away in a box, partly completed. I may go back and finish them one day, if I get the chance. Sorry this is all a bit 'off topic', I am nevertheless looking forward to seeing this new layout of yours, develop. Regards Steve

Same here (naturally). Silage fields have been closed off to livestock and await a suitable length of growth. Shearing is underway and a friend's son and his mate have more offers of shearing work than they can handle, thanks to the absence of visiting overseas shearers (mainly Kiwis and Aussies of course). All trees are fully out now and I saw the first Honeysuckle flowers out in the hedges yesterday, destined to become 'Old Man's Beard' come the Autumn. The birds have quietened down a bit now and was lucky to see a Spotted Woodpecker in a tree very close to the road on my walk - whether it had got bolder due to the lock-down, or was drawn to my natural charm, I will leave others to decide ;-) In the village (and, indeed, in many a hamlet and settlement hereabouts), numerous DIY and building projects are underway - by the time all this is over, everyone will be competing in the 'Best Kept Village' competition! Steve

So, to be clear, this is a picture of China china? ;-) [Sorry, its been a slow day/week/several months - delete as applicable] Steve

Great picture, although I've not seen that many photos of SY's fitted with smoke-deflectors. Presumably, when on duties such as this, they never accelerated their loads to the point that they saw the benefit of still having them (LOL)? Good to see them still in 'original condition' though - do we know whether deflector-fitted ones were depot or region-specific originally? Steve