Northroader

Then you wonder at small sailing vessels coming up the ship canal to Manchester, suppose they’d need a tugboat?

I think the 4plank job is very modellable, if only we knew what the cast plate says. The solebars look flitched, no crown plates, then there’s the vertical strapping at the ends, no corner plate or straps except for a wrap around at the top, the end isn’t a flat top but raised in the middle with tapering flanks, and no diagonal strapping, presumably the continuous top plank provides the support. Continuous top plank on a four planker? It’s got both sides brakes and levers, so it’s really quite up to date. edit: p.s. I thought the coaling operation looks good, a line of p.o. wagons James Ke??? of Liverpool, dumb buffers on the siding, and a more modern one dangling over the ship. I hope they’re going to lower it down a bit and shovel it out, no end door to open, “Bombs away!”…

Nice set of pictures here: https://www.westernthunder.co.uk/threads/halstead.12154/

Do you know, Stephen, looking at your enlargement of the near end, I think I can see a pair of retaining straps bolted to the plank and passing behind the buffer head to secure the plank.

So there’s a nice big thick plank each end. That’s a different way of going on, anyway.

I’m quite sold on doing a version of Lyddlow Goods with passenger accommodation added: https://micromodelrailwaydispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Issue204_finished-compressed.pdf

Can we talk about 4plankers as well on here? If so here’s two as match wagons. In the yard of Horsehay and Dawley station in Shropshire. The Horsehay Co. specialised in girders for cranes and bridges. I can see how the girder is chained down on the bogies, I can guess that they are linked by a rigid bar, I can presume the underslung chains are for traction forces, but I’m mystified how the buffing forces pass from the wagons to the girder.

Pre group 0 gauge micro… you have my full attention - and support.

My stock boxes are made from sheets of 3mm greyboard, a thick cardboard you can get from art materials shops, and I think they use it for mounting pictures, Mikkel. I cut it to size with a Stanley knife, and also use this to score the corners before folding, then gluing with pva. One end is fixed, the other stuck down one side, and secured with a tag like shoe box, although I find these don’t take much wear. For 0 scale, they’re 4” x 3” section, though I find the occasional cupola or chimney will jam inside. Most of the stuff is a slack fit, but they’re kept roughly in line, and you can get buffers locking as you get them out, and sometimes as I decant them the odd buffer head will appear on its own, and I always try to keep them level. I fancy if you’re using tension lock couplers or suchlike you will find a lot of tangling as the set appears, I’m using link couplers which aren’t a problem for this. Generally there’s a made up set inside with loco and rolling stock. Using short trains they’re quite manageable, and lengths match fiddle yard cassettes, the length in inches being marked on the end, and a completed set gets a green square. You can see they’re strong enough to be stackable. If you’re a “collector” there’s great stress made of having the model packed in the original box, but as I scratchbuilt or pick up loose bits second hand I prefer having the models in blocks like this.

A few years ago, I did a sort of End of the Year Report, having a look at how things had gone from a modelling perspective, which was well received. 2023 was a year of big changes for me, so the time is ripe to do another one, looking at how things stand now in the new place. I was bumbling along quite happily in the loft at Wootton Bassett until March, when I had an aneurism in my aorta. Folks go on about the NHS, but I think back to a team of professionals using all their skill to save an old blokes life at three o’clock on a Monday morning, and I’m very grateful, believe me. Thinking about things in a hospital bed, I decided that it was time to move, something my daughter has been nagging about for a few years. We had lived at W.B. for 39 years, moving there with a young family who had long since flown the nest. We were happy and settled in a decent situation, so hadn’t really felt the need, although now well into our eighties. Looking back, it’s something we should have done a long time ago, the upheaval was something we would never have managed without a lot of help from our family, and I must again give tribute to all the stalwarts on RMweb and IRM who helped find good homes for a lot of stuff, which I’m very pleased about. So, to the new Northroader Towers, what’s there? Come in through the front door, turn left, living room with easy chairs and coffee table, dining chairs and table. Turn right, there’s a galley kitchen. Beyond the living room, the first bedroom, and beyond the kitchen there’s a bathroom and a second bedroom. We’re both restless at night, so we use both the bedrooms. On the back of the house a conservatory has been tacked on, accessed through the second bedroom. I think this will come into its own in the summer, for now the washing gets spread out on rainy days, it’s a bit cold in there, and the short daylight hours don’t help. On the right side of the house there’s a single garage tacked on the side and projecting forward, with a back door and a side door into the kitchen. So far, not any real space for modellers, but then, on the back of the garage, there’s an extension. The line of the outer garage wall has been continued with a timber framework clad both sides with tongue and groove. This is braced to the house with overhead beams supporting a roof same as in the conservatory, sort of double skin translucent polycarbonate? stuff. There’s a raised wood floor, and the far end exits into a small garden through a French window. The lighting is poor, and there’s no heating, but I find it quite good except in the coldest weather. It was termed the Garden Room, but now it’s the Railway Room, oh yes. This is a general view of the space, where I’m standing is more of a dumping ground. The space that can be seen is 10’4” long by 8’6” wide (3150mm x 2600mm) which I think you’ll agree is most acceptable. This is the left hand side, with two storage racks under full of plastic tubs, also some greyboard tubes for made up trains. (Generally the bulk of what has come here is needing completion, but there are some treasures came as well) There’s a printer/ copier perched on this end. On top there’s a new layout taking shape, built on 10mm foamboard. It’s a 7mm scale microlayout, but with 37mm gauge intended for 5’3” and 5’6” lines. In the far corner there’s a small workbench. The table is nice and solid on a welded tubular legs, previously slung out from a primary school where my wife worked. The top is a strong melamine topped ply with a sides and back, to which I’ve added a couple of sockets on an extension lead. It’s interesting in having previously served in Swindon CM&EE drawing office, but then we moved out to new offices over the road, and this was preserved. Over on the right hand side more storage racking, rolling stock boxes, and useful stuff in tubs, together with the remnants of my library in cube storage. The nearest rack is at right angles, with the Whimsy line parked on top. This is 16.5mm gauge circuit, but thinking about it, it could be a shade larger, in 32mm gauge, and slightly more operable, built on the firm premise that as you grow older, you grow dafter. Behind it is the main board, 7mm scale and 32mm gauge, so that’s alright. With my success in the foamboard line on the other side, I thought I’d do the far end pocket yard and the near end fiddle yard in foamboard, but the cold weather caught up with the glue setting, so we’re waiting for the spring there. There’s plenty more to be getting on with, as you can see.

I formed the impression looking at the pictures that one particular plant grew in profusion?

Duo Account?? (Legal Term, Bob, it’s when you’ve got 4mm stuff and you want to do 7mm)

Ooh! Did I? And I didn’t caution against overburdening the loco fleet? That’s alright, then. That’s a lovely little branch train you’re making up there.

You can’t trust a “special” like an old time copper.

There was a post today over on “Wright writes” which I felt was worth linking to, in case you’ve missed it:

Points? Pah! Who wants points? Nasty expensive things, take up far too much space! (on two A1 size sheets)

No, I’m just totally enamelled, just to put a gloss on it.

what’s this, then? You’re looking at 0 gauge? What? What? What?

Totally enamelled with the train standing at the platform, very best wishes to yourself and Stationmaster Price.

What is he up to now, I thought, and not disappointed, gently swinging away to the music. Quite a lot happened in your year, too. Have a happy time with all the family, and hope for a good new year. Best wishes, Bob.

well, best wishes for Christmas and the New Year to everyone, many thanks for your interest and help during a difficult time. I’m looking forward to a new year when we can venture out again Beyond Dover….

You can get away with 10mm foamboard, although I’ve found this time of year PVA glue doesn’t like cold weather. Roll on the spring…