Nick Holliday
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Surveying Railways in the Victorian Era
Nick Holliday replied to ikcdab's topic in UK Prototype Discussions (not questions!)
There’s an interesting article in the October 2023 issue of BackTrack magazine, I K Brunel and the Cheltenham and Gloucester Railway, which describes how the great man surveyed the line, to comment on the various current proposals. He seemed to cover a prodigious amount of ground, riding over 30 miles of country every day. -
A little bit harsh. I’d started my answer before you posted, but I had to find the link. We were only minutes apart! Perhaps you should patrol the jokes threads.
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Not quite as ornate, but probably not likely in 4mm, but Fretcetera do something similar. https://www.scalelinkfretcetera.co.uk/product/slf035/
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Looking to replace my station building
Nick Holliday replied to AyJay's topic in Card structure modelling forum
Although brickworks such as at Fletton were established in the 1870’s the mass mechanical production didn’t really start until the 1920’s, so until then more local production would hold sway. It shouldn’t be forgotten that the majority of station buildings such as at Arley were built at the same time as the railway, around 1866, so rail transport might not be particularly effective. On many railway building projects, the contractors established small brickworks if they came across suitable clay, The colour of the resulting bricks would probably match other locally prepared wares used in non-railway buildings. -
Ashlar masonry involves the stone blocks being regularly and squarely cut, so that they can be laid effectively as large bricks, with thin and even jointing. The face of the blocks is usually flat, or sometimes it is left with an as-quarried rougher surface, or the edges chamfered to give a more interesting surface. The stonework in the OP is ashlar, but the faces have been extensively, and expensively, treated, with vermiculation, striations and other architectural embellishments.
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Sign written box vans
Nick Holliday replied to Halton Boy's topic in Modelling Questions, Help and Tips
If you are going to prepare your own bespoke livery, perhaps in the style of Edwardian railways, try to think "Edwardian Sign Writer", as they tended to avoid lower case text, except in special circumstances, and used much bolder styles - no Arial etc. fonts. You might get some inspiration from a thread here on pantechnicons, such as or here This is my very crude first attempt, with too little thought given to the actual style of lettering! -
Have you seen this website? https://irishrailwaymodeller.com/topic/5369-cynwyd-in-n-based-on-closed-stationgoods-yard-on-the-llangollen-line-brgwr-etc/ Might be useful, even if the site's name is a bit off-putting.
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I would suggest correcting the name in the title might get a better response. Sorry, checking maps you did mean Bramley, but used Bromley in your text.
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I appreciate that there has been a lot of design development, and this latest offering seems quite a promising scheme, but I believe it could do with a little more tweaking to make it even better. One area which I think needs a bit of polishing is the commencement of the bi-directional central track. At the moment trains need to run over a short section of track in the wrong direction. Probably acceptable on the real thing, although it looks clumsy, but it means that running through in one direction would impact on traffic running in the opposite direction. As it stands, a train running clockwise (green main line) would have to cross over onto the anti-clockwise line (purple) before reaching the through line, and, at the other end, an anti-clockwise train, running on the purple line, crosses onto the clockwise line before reaching the bi-directional line. This could be avoided by moving the points slightly, as below. Another fairly simple modification would be alter the angle of your branch terminus so that it is not running parallel with the baseboard edge, as this will probably look better. (I think you may need a headshunt to protect the mainline as well) Without knowing exactly how you intend to treat the main station's platforms, it is difficult to understand why the branch line connection is where you've shown it, rather than perhaps a little further to the right, and I suspect that the connection to the clockwise line should also be more direct, with a diamond crossing across the bidirectional line. Personally I would minimise the "maintenance depot" section, as it usually contributes little to the operational complexity of a layout, unless you have a large fleet of locos that you want to have on display. Similarly, I wonder if the four finger-sidings for "industry" will add much to the mix, but that would depend upon what type of industry you are thinking of. I would be inclined to re-dedicate the industrial area to a small loco depot instead, and create a larger general goods and merchandise style yard where your maintenance depot is. That way you could include a goods shed, loading bay, a coal yard (not staithes!) etc. which could justify a wider range of goods stock, and increase the shunting potential with more locations to spot wagons. I realise that that all sounds a trifle cliched, but those sort of facilities were what the railways were usually providing.
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Railway Operating Division - Locomotive Livery
Nick Holliday replied to Bandicoot's topic in UK Prototype Questions
J N Maskelyne, in his book on London, Brighton & South Coast Railway locomotives, published in 1928, has this to say: Twelve of the LB&SCR "E4" Class were sent to France, during the Great War, for service behind the lines. These engines were Nos. 470, 481,498, 504, 506, 516, 518, 562, 563, 564, 565, and 580. They left England during November, 1917, and, for some time they worked on the ammunition dump at Audruicq. Early in 1918, however, they were sent right up to fighting line and worked on the gun-spurs in the neighbourhood of Arras. They were to be seen at almost any time of night or day at such places at St. Pol, Frevent, Doullens, Candas, Canaples, Albert, Gombremetz and Acq. They were painted dull slate grey all over, and had the initials “R.O.D” painted in white letters some two feet in height, on the side tanks while the numbers were painted in similar sized figures on the bunker sides. A small oval cast iron plate, bearing the legend "L.B. & S.C.R, England," was fixed inside the cab on the back weatherboard. After the Armistice in November, 1918, these engines were put to work on the ordinary local passenger services in the areas mentioned, work which they continued to do until they were gradually released for shipment home to England during the spring and early summer of 1919. They were the only L.B. & S.C.R. engines be sent abroad during hostilities. Nos. 470, 479, 503 and 517 of Class “E4” were fitted with the Automatic Vacuum Brake apparatus in addition to the usual standard Westinghouse Air Brake and could be used in consequence for working other company's stock when necessary. -
DEMU Showcase Sutton Coldfield June 15/16 2024
Nick Holliday replied to newbryford's topic in Exhibitions
To be pedantic, the line serving Waddon Marsh was not really a freight line. It was a link between West Croydon and Wimbledon, following, for part of its route, the line of the Surrey Iron Railway, one of the earliest public railways in England, in 1855, and would have been primarily passenger orientated. The industry that built up around Waddon Marsh was a turn-of-the-century development, and Waddon Marsh station itself only opened in 1930 following electrification of the line. Admittedly, the passenger traffic was fairly minimal, and, until the sixties, there was plenty of freight traffic serving the large gas works and electricity power station as well as the numerous factories and foundries set up either side of the tracks, requiring three running tracks for some distance from north of the station platform. -
Seeing that impressive range of production skills, and their potential markets, it is easy to understand why the Railway Modelling side has been hived off. I wouldn't be surprised if the weekly turnover of just one of the subsidiary companies exceeded the annual figure for the models locos.
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For the record, I'm afraid you have mixed up two different factors. In 1880 a sudden upturn in suburban passenger traffic left the Brighton with a shortage of suitable tank locos. Although a further batch of D1 tanks, the 0-4-2 type, was ordered, Brighton works was busy with building E1 tanks and the G Singles, so the order was placed with Nelson & Co, and wouldn't be available for a year or so, so the works upgraded 9 existing E1 tanks for passenger service, fitting the Westinghouse brake and screw coupling, improving the brakes (iron shoes) and the balancing, and painting in IEG. A further 24 E1's under construction were similarly prepared. These locos were still rather rough riding, and unpopular with passengers, but they just had to put up with the surging until further D1 tanks arrived in 1881/2, and the E1's could revert to primarily goods duties, and those at New Cross were quickly repainted in green, although the rest waited until their next visit to works. Fitting Westinghouse brakes to other E1's was a slow process, 25 more receiving the brake in 1890/3, which also included fitting screw couplings instead of three links, and the addition of red lining either side of the black lining, although Westinghouse fitted ones were still used on some passenger duties, such as the Dyke Branch, and apparently all had received the air brake gear by grouping, just in time for the Southern to start fitting vacuum brakes! The story of the Cuckoo Line involved the E1 Special Barcelona, No. 157. After the line opened in 1880, goods services were handled by miscellaneous Craven locos and some E1's, but the gradients were proving rather too taxing, so in 1884 Stroudley designed an improved E1 with Gladstone cylinders and the G Single boiler, resulting in a more powerful E1 on steroids. For some reason, although intended for goods duties, Barcelona appeared in IEG, and it was under Billinton's regime, in June 1890, when it was changed to green.
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Although this is better than some of the earlier iterations, I still don’t think you will be getting the best out of your investment, and the space you have available. One thing that is missing is somewhere to park stock, particularly carriages, when they are not orbiting the oval. There’s plenty of sidings for locomotives, but with perhaps only two passenger sets, and one goods, they won’t have much to do. Another thing that rather grates is the clumsy looking, and slightly impractical, junction leading to the bidirectional line. I would streamline this area by allocating the centre line as the bidirectional one, saving the diamond crossing, which is a potential conflict point, although I’m not too sure what this extra line is going to be used for.