Jump to content
 

buffalo

Members
  • Posts

    4,727
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    1

buffalo last won the day on November 16 2009

buffalo had the most liked content!

Profile Information

  • Interests
    GWR and S&DJR 4mm EM P4

Recent Profile Visitors

1,765 profile views

buffalo's Achievements

2.2k

Reputation

  1. The seven wire type appears to have been very widespread, though the lower runs can easily be hidden in the grass. Why wouldn't bridge rail strainer posts be available? The GWR had been using bridge rail of varying weights and profiles since 1838, so I doubt there was any shortage of worn rail or, indeed, of recovered sleepers which had been quite normal on standard gauge since the 1860s. The only problem I'm aware of with using bridge rail in fences at an early date is that I've yet to find a definite example in photos before about 1890. Not a problem with Ian's period. Nick
  2. Perhaps because the GWR mechanism had proved to be quite adequate for the job since its introduction around 1905, unlike some of the bizarre rope and pulley arrangements seen on some other railways. Though the vacuum approach was also effective, it was probably quite expensive to adapt engines to use it and gave no significant benefit over the GWR mechanical system. As to connection/disconnection, the mechanical linkage simply required insertion/removal of a pin to connect the sliding part to the universal joint on the engine's buffer beam. Hardly complex or time consuming in itself, but remember that apart from the usual hoses and coupling, there was also an electrical connection for the communication bell and a whistle cord, though the latter appears to not always have been used. Nick
  3. Yes, the green tank fronts only appeared on preserved examples. . 6400-9 were built in 1932 and would have had GREAT WESTERN on the tank sides. 6410-19 were built in November and December 1934 so would have had the shirtbutton when built. Apart from the topfeed, none of these were built with bunker steps on the fireman's side, nor were they initially fitted with whistle shields. Nick
  4. Some folk have very strange ideas of the GWR! Dismissing the Armstrong and Dean eras as 'oddities' is just bizarre. Then, what about all the saddle tanks? Many were still around until the thirties. Conversion to panniers took a long time. Nick
  5. The banana transport story is rather split between here and Mikkel's blog. Atkins et al. suggest that the bunches were laid on a bed of straw in early banana vans, maybe suspending them came later? See also the first photo on this page. Boxes, however, were used for redistribution from the ripening warehouses long before the seventies.. See, for example, the second photo on this page. Nick
  6. Hi Mikkel, I'd be wary of banana boxes unless you can find evidence of transport by rail. Elders & Fyffes came into existence in 1901 but, as Don mentions, the "Blue Label" brand was not introduced until 1929. Green bananas were transported at near constant temperature by sea and by rail in bunches and were packed into the vans at Avonmouth with straw. See also Atkins et al on Banana vans. They were then taken to ripening warehouses all over the country. Most of the warehouses were in urban centres, though there was one at LLandudno Junction by 1910. They were then distrubuted in boxes to wholesale and retail customers. Although it's possible, I've yet to see any evidence that this was done by rail. Nick
  7. Until Mike gets here, I can start the ball rolling with the following from the 1936 General Appendix; "As a general rule, any type of engine with coupled wheels not less the 4'6" diameter may be used to assist a passenger train from the bottom to the top of an incline..." For "Assisting or double heading on the level or on falling gradients" "(i) Engines of the 4-6-0 or 4-4-0 types may be coupled in front of any engine (subject to special regulations respecting the "King" class), and, if available, an engine of one of these types should always be the leading engine. (ii) If the engine to be attached is not of the same type as the train engine or of the 4-6-0 or 4-4-0 type, it must be placed between the train engine and the train. (iii) Except where shown below (*) engines of the 2-6-0 and 2-6-2T types with wheels 5'8" in diameter may assist in front of any engine except the 60XX "King" class between the following points only..." Newton Anbbot and Brent are amongst the routes listed after (iii) where these engines may assist. The special regulations for Kings include: "King" class engines may run coupled to any engine of the tender type except those in the "red" group, but engines of the 83XX and 93XX types are specially authorised. Tank engines of the "yellow" group only may be coupled to a "King" class engine." "When any tender engine is run coupled to a "King" engine, they must not be coupled funnel to funnel." Nick
  8. I do hope the keg reservoir is a joke, because it won't work like that. It will take ages to fill and you'll have very little control over the spraying pressure. There is a version of that compressor that comes with a three litre tank which is fine for continous spraying.There are many photos of these on line and if you look carefully, you'll see that the tank is fed directly from the compressor cylinder head and the pressure valve and water trap are on the output side of the tank. That way, the pressure in the brush line is controlled and any condensation in the tank is removed from the brush supply. Nick
  9. Wouldn't a Castle boiler be a better starting point? They were, after all, just a light weight version of the 47XX boiler, 3" smaller diameter but otherwise the same, and with the same firebox. Nick.
  10. I thought Dreadnought was one of the Fury class. Built at Swindon in 1846/7 they were the first of a very long line of GWR 0-6-0s. However, it's possible that you might be thinking of the Bristol and Gloucester's 0-6-0T built in 1842 by Stothert and Slaughter using parts supplied by the Vulcan Foundry. Nick
  11. The 1912 coach livery was indeed crimson lake, and some modellers like to use indian red for drop lights on the post-1922 or pre-1908 chocolate and cream liveries. However, drop lights were actually polished mahogany in both cases. Some sources have claimed venetian red drop lights and bolections for pre-1908 liveries, but the evidence is slim. Indian red was used on engine frames, splashers, etc. before 1906. Nick
  12. Well, there wasn't much of a remainder by then, only three made into 1956 with large numbers withdrawn in 1950/1/2. If you want a Star at Plymouth you just need to model the era before the Castles were introduced. Immediately before and after WW1, the majority of those not at Paddington were at Plymouth, but from 1926/7 they were being replaced by Castles. Nick
  13. We discussed 4F tenders on the S&DJR a few years ago, here's one topic. Using eleven different sources of photos, my broad conclusion was that most LMS engines had Fowler tenders at or soon after nationalisation, though the Armstrongs received them by 1958/9. 44558 had one by 1956. It's difficult to be more precise as there were surprisingly few photos of Armstrongs between 1955-8. Nick
  14. Not to worry, Callum. It's not as if you're the first person to forget there was life before pannier tanks. The RTR manufacturers do it all the time Nick
  15. Hi Nestor, Yes, you should check your photos to see if your prototype had inside or outside keys. Outside is by far the more common, but some railways and contractors used inside keys during the later 19th century. If you do need inside keys then there will always be someone who tells you it can't be done With all due respect to brightspark, it can be done in P4 but 00 or EM flanges would hit the chairs. See the last couple of comments in this entry on my blog. The track in question is still within P4 tolerances (-0, +0.03mm) after three years. As to the direction of the keys, see this post. Nick
×
×
  • Create New...