Gibbo675

Hi Kieth, Hot water at 100*C atmospheric is 10.04lbs/gallon the same as it is at 250 PSI ( can't be bothered to look up my PVT tables to find temperature ! ). When calculating steam production in locomotives and other steam plant, it is is done on a unit mass rate of water evaporated which directly translates as the unit mass of steam produced. The PVT graphs of the steam produced is how the efficiency is measured when put through the engine of what ever type you may wish to mention.

Hi 62613, You are quite correct in your description of how and why steam is such a good medium for energy transmission. The two things I would add are that, the drier the steam is the more energy it has per unit mass at what ever pressure is being worked and also that, expanded steam at the point of the valve opening to exhaust must indeed have positive pressure. Hot dry steam, (a relativistic term), is the reason for the use of high degree super-heat, this comes at a cost of greater difficulties in the lubrication of the liners, piston and valve heads and rings and also the gland packings. The main reason for positive pressure is that the steam has work to do in drawing the fire via the draughting arrangements. The usual maximum exhaust pressure at the blast cap for a simple expansion, single chimney is around 12 psi irrespective of either maximum boiler pressure or steam chest pressure at any given cut off. Any driver that thinks that he may develop more power by increasing the cut off beyond what the draughting arrangements will allow will only succeed in making lots of noise bye way of of increasing the back pressure of the locomotive ultimately lowering the power produced with the added expense of disrupting the fire bed and using more water that is necessary. That said certain idiots still give it a good go all the same ! Ask yourself what would happen, unlikely as this is, if the steam condensed in the cylinder and caused a vacuum. Gibbo.

HI Corbs, When running on the main line with 45407 some years back I was once asked why did we not have a pantograph and a heating element to save coal. The chap wasn't joking either, and also couldn't understand that it wasn't really practical or even efficient to do such a modification. So supposing that the power station is coal fired it would seem that you are proposing a locomotive that will take coal from the colliery to the power station, so that the power station may burn the coal to heat the water, that will then expand the steam in a turbine, to generate electricity that will in turn heat the water in the locomotives boiler, to then be expanded in reciprocating engines of that locomotive that is taking the coal to the power station ? Not wishing to rain upon your parade, you may wish to consider the following: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rankine_cycle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laws_of_thermodynamics https://www.skm-eleksys.com/2011/03/transmission-line-parameters-resistance.html I have to say I would be very interested to see the rating in watts a suitable heating element would have to be to raise the required amount of steam. I thought I was crackers ! Gibbo.

Hi Clive, While in Glasgow, I observed you moving the traverser/selector on the DCC controlled layout that you were operating so you were sort of driving the track. I have no idea if any of the above has any sort of analogy.......or digit. Gibbo.

Hi Paul, I managed to build a Cartic set from the Barrowmore diagram information below and Paul Bartlett's photographs. http://www.barrowmoremrg.co.uk/BRBDocuments/BRPOWagons1Issue.pdf It took a bit of work to sort it all out but quite possible to end up with an accurate model, it yet requires some etched brass details but it is going well so far. Gibbo.

Is that the draw bridge to the mother in laws house ? Gibbo.

Hi Manna, I would think that a 3000 hp class 40 just the same except with even more cracks in their bogies. Remember that a class 58 has the same basic engine block as the class 37 and the class 56 has the same basic engine block as the class 40 and the class 50. Gibbo.

Hi Mark, This is the best Two Ronnies restaurant sketch: Gibbo.

Hi Folks, Here is the freshly painted Fly Ash Presflo Hopper. For a comparison the Fly Ash Presflo is pictured next to one of Dapol's standard Cement Presflo wagons. When it is dry I shall be measuring it up and doing a drawing of it to send off, along with the model, to an accomplice to see what he makes of it. Gibbo.

Hi Clive, I wouldn't worry about it and just get on and build another bug crate, or you could get into sacred geometry and Patristics and the terrible effect that non contrapuntal music has upon ones own conscious: Gibbo.

Hi JZ, It was the use of the phrase "came across this one today" that caused my amusement. Gibbo.

Hi 101, I'm particularly amused by the stable type door to the right of the hallway. Gibbo.

Hi JZ, I'm quite amused as to how you discovered this sign considering what the sign says. Gibbo.

Hi Keith, I haven't finished it yet ! Gibbo.

If nothing else it keeps my head warm along with an air of Dumbledoresque ridiculousness !

Wrong answer !!! Gibbo.

Hi Brian, As the above have noted all the paint is applied by brush. That said some painters use a gloss roller to apply the paint and then lay off with a brush, the reason for this is that the paint goes on more evenly and more quickly. Modern brushing grade paints allow for the following from bare metal: Primer coat. Filler and sand. First under coat, filler and sand. Second undercoat and sand. First top coat and sand. Second top coat and light sand. Lining and transfers. First coat varnish. Second coat varnish. Many years ago Seventy One Million, AKA the Duke of Gloucester was spayed in two pack epoxy paint, it looked fantastic close up but flat matt from a distance because there were no brushing lines in the paint finish. As noted above, when brush painted there are usually two coats of varnish applied, this has two effects, one that gives depth to the paint finish and the second, to reflect the sunlight at all sorts of different angles bye way of the brushing lines in the depth of the finish. Even a locomotive that needs a clean will still retain an amount of shine due to the effect of the brushing lines in the varnish. Unfortunately the effect of cleaning the paint work flats it off over time leading to the loss of the brushing lines and eventually a dull finish. Varnishing also allows for locomotives that become so dulled in their paint finish to be rubbed down without recourse to relining and replacement of transfers or painted numbers and gold leaf and then re-varnished to look like new again. The painting of components such as wheels, frames and bracketry is done prior to assembly with touching up done if it chipped in the process. Gibbo.

My dear JDW, What else would you expect from a man that wears a hat of the style that is shewn upon page 3 of this very thread. I was once marked down by 1% in a piece of work that handed in for my Degree course work some years ago for the use of the word shewn. I complained to the stimulus-response type tutor I had but to no avail, so I wrote to the Professors administering the course and I got my mark. I became the only one to get a 100% mark in that module out of the whole year. I then got bored with the whole boring nonsense that it was for I did not want to spend my life doing hard sums, while wearing a suit, in an artificially lit office. So I stopped wasting my money, chucked in engineering, moved to the middle of nowhere and went self employed as a joiner. Should have done it ten years earlier. That was them shewn !!! Cheers, Gibbo.

Hi Alfa, How about this French contraption for styling ? https://derbysulzers.com/sncf262BD1.html I have to say it has something of the Blue Pullman about it. If you take the styling of the GWR railcars, the Blue Pullman and mixed up them with the above PLM Sulzer and some centenary coaches you could possibly make something that looks the part. Gibbo.

Hi Folks, Here is the finished Fly Ash Presflo wagon, The brake gear has been filed and reduced in section now that it has cured, also some edges have been rounded off to improve its appearance. The vacuum brake and air discharge pipes have been added along with some ribbing on the re-profiled lower hopper section. The walk way was cut from a single piece of .020" plasticard with small upstands glued into position on its underside, these are 3mm long at the outer edge and 2.5mm towards the centre line. Once the upstands had cured I spotted glue onto the ends of the upstands and then quickly positioned the whole on top of the tank using some steel weights to hold the assembly in place while curing. The tank fillers are made from 3/16" Plastruct tube capped off with details made form .020" plasticard and bits of micro rod. I should have cut the tube shorter by the thickness of the capping as they ought to be level with the walk way but they are now .020" too high. It may be possible to slice them off once they are cured file the bottoms of them and glue them back on but that may not happen. This wagon is a one off and has been built for reference for a possible future project for the work involved is far too great of an undertaking to be able to create a rake of any prototypical length and retain consistency of build quality. With the mention of build quality if you look carefully you may notice that the sole bar is not overly straight ! Disc braked side shewing discharge pipework. Tread braked side shewing vacuum train pipe. Gibbo.

Hi Folks, I have now finished the ICI Bulk Salt Presflo wagons, they were in the end painted in a mix of mainly BR Blue with a small amount of BR standard Loco Green mixed in with just a drop of Dark Roof Blue/Grey, Railmatch colours numbers, 207, 300 and 310 respectively. The transfers are from CCT and the only problem I had was that the ICI roundels only just fit between the ribs of the Dapol model. I had to be very close to the printed decal when cutting them out so that they would fit in between and stay flat. The only diversion I had regarding transfers was that there is an instruction board above the sole bar so I cut the larger set of instructions and positioned it to the left hand side of the board and the smaller set of instructions was cut in half, trimmed to length and positioned to suit. After the transfers had been sealed with a water based varnish I used Railmatch matt finish varnish to tone down the finish appropriately. The last job was to pick out the hand wheels and axle box ends in yellow. I am pleased with how the models have turned out and I enjoyed the building of them. View shewing the opposite sides of two of each of the four wagons built. Gibbo.

Hi Folks, I have now finished the ICI Bulk Salt Presflo wagons, they were in the end painted in a mix of mainly BR Blue with a small amount of BR standard Loco Green mixed in with just a drop of Dark Roof Blue/Grey, Railmatch colours numbers, 207, 300 and 310 respectively. The transfers are from CCT and the only problem I had was that the ICI roundels only just fit between the ribs of the Dapol model. I had to be very close to the printed decal when cutting them out so that they would fit in between and stay flat. The only diversion I had regarding transfers was that there is an instruction board above the sole bar so I cut the larger set of instructions and positioned it to the left hand side of the board and the smaller set of instructions was cut in half, trimmed to length and positioned to suit. After the transfers had been sealed with a water based varnish I used Railmatch matt finish varnish to tone down the finish appropriately. The last job was to pick out the hand wheels and axle box ends in yellow. Many thanks to all that have contributed to the above thread, I am pleased with how the models have turned out and I enjoyed the building of them. View shewing the opposite sides of two of each of the four wagons built. Gibbo.

Hi Chaps, I would suggest that; It is well know how well researched the books of Brian Haresnape actually are, his use of an artist impression that was commissioned by the LMS that was indeed painted from drawings supplied by the LMS to the artist for the sake of accuracy, that the locomotive in question, should it have been built, would have had a round topped fire box. I cannot think that Brian Haresnape would have included such a picture in one of his books if it were inaccurate in anything other than minor detail. The locomotive was not to have been designed at Derby, therefore it matters not what Derby were or were not doing at the time. It was the influence of Derby that the project was dropped. Horwich was designated design office and already had experience of designing and building some very large and also very unusual round topped fire boxes, cylinders were actually cast for the aborted project and these were also cast and machined at Horwich. It is also of note that Gresley trained at Horwich and continued the use of such round topped boilers on the LNER. As noted by mccormackpj and to be absolutely fair to Robin Barnes, it would seem that he worked from only a side elevation for it is likely that the LMS engineering and publicity departments were not assisting him in the preparation of his excellent book. He seems also to have made the assumption of a Belpaire firebox. All reasoned evidence produced so far points to a round topped fire box including a painting specifically commissioned by the LMS, with only those that prefer either guess work or that can't read drawings saying otherwise. Think about it !!!! Gibbo.

Hi Folks, Here is the latest progress with the CSV fly ash Presflo hopper. The gaps in the sole bar have been filled as have the holes that the original kit brake gear should locate into along with the buffers and vacuum hoses. A hopper of new profile has been made and fitted along with extra ribs that were missing due to the cut and shut nature of the build and also the compensator strips over the main bearer ribs that flitch onto the sole bar. Other details include pipework and an instruction notice board. The most time consuming job was to make and fit the brake gear this was made from .020" and .030" strips of plasticard cut from sheet and formed appropriately before gluing into place. The two tread brake shoes are from the kit, all the rest is scratch built. The disc brake calipers are a bit heavy looking but once cured I should be able to pare down the sections to lighten and taper them to make them look a little better. As previously noted the model is 3mm longer than it should be because of the distance between some of the ribs upon the hopper, this makes quite a difference between the CSV fly ash Presflo and the standard CPV cement Presflo. The roof has been filled and when cured it will be filed and sanded ready for the filler caps and walkway brackets. Disc brake side shewing discharge pipes. Tread brake side. Gibbo.

Hi Alfa, The blue electrics are two of the first five classes of AC electric locomotives used upon the West Coast Main Line from 1959 until, depending upon class, the early 1980's / early 1990's. The original class notations were AL1, AL2, AL3, AL4 and AL5 later becoming classes 81, 82, 83, 84 and 85. from these early classes the AL6 later 86 was developed, later still the class 87 and then eventually as the first five classes were being withdrawn the final variant the class 90 was introduced. You will find all of the types mentioned above from the following link: https://aclocogroup.co.uk/ Gibbo.