BMS

I m making a rather simpler model than most of the correspondents but I am particularly interested in ballast colour in the SW valleys, and rather less SW mainline, esp. pre-grouping. My memory from the 50s would be black (coal dust I imagine) everywhere except where recently replaced. And composed mainly of ash. Comments?

One technique i use to get max number of tracks on the straight is to make outer tracks longer before starting a curve; also on my layout I further use the difference in straight lengths by a full quarter circle of 4th radius, adjoining a quarter circle of 1 4th piece of track followed by 1 3rd radius piece of track adjoined a quarter circle of 1 3rd and and 1 2nd adjoined a quarter circle of 1 2nd and and 1 1st . So on the straight trains are protoypically close to each other on adjacent tracks and as they enter a curve the spacing increases. I've got three tracks going under a Hornby footbridge (but tight on the platform edge!!) All helped by the fact that using Hornby track each track piece covers the same angle. When did you see ALL track at the same spacing on the prototype over a significant distance?

Just to correct my previous entry and agree with others: TVR 30T Timber Truck, later GWR Macaw G. Length over headstocks 35 ft, width 7ft 4", The bolsters are removeable and don't revolve. Bogies axle spacing 5ft 6", Distance beween middle of bogies 24ft. distance between buffer centres 5ft 8 1/2in. This from the outline diagram I prev mentioned. Presumable removeanle bolsters suggest the are relocatable; as drawn the spacing beween the outer pairs is less than the next inner and the middle pair are between the others. Diagram has no overall length over buffers.

JN Maskelyne Editor MRN (GW Fanatic) in Sept 46 MRN Page 188 has a similar list to the one just above starting from 5071(1940) to 6952 except that 5049 splits the 5017 period: no dates unfortunately. Obviously nothing post 1946

Jan 2020 Page 57, what have pictures 3,4&5 got to do with their captions? Look to be breakdown crane review material (;-)}

On the uk modelshops directory listing there is a list of "local" railway stations; all are fine except the last "West Kirby" which is "9" or so miles away it says. This is, I think,as the crow flies and ignores the river Dee which would need to be crossed. Chester is closer for people without boats! I have put a note to uk....

Not all platforms on a line were necessarily the same length; Halts could be shorter for example because the train/autotrain predicted to operate them was say 1 or 2 coaches as opposed to the more significant stations which could be expected to handle handling 5 or more coaches. Also some platforms could be for more than one larger train. Contrast Alberta Road Halt/ Llandough Halt, Abercwmboi Halt, Penarth Town, Cardiff General (Central?), Queen St and at the long extreme Pontypridd from my memories. Regards

What scale are you on: N OO? Regards Basil

A real find Just a thought - these could be ex Taff Vale Railway stock possibly condemned?; Or other South Wales stock? Llantrisant was a point where ex TVR and GW came together. I will be working on possible identification against TVR diagrams. Nice mixture of roof colours.

Penarth Town (BR(WR), GWR, TVR, CP&BJR) had bays on the up and down sides;; latterly Cadoxton autotrains used the up side bay(misnomer in a sense since the track went down both ways. In early days I believe at least the up side bay was accessed by passing purple aspect signals.

Deleted because in wrong section. Sorry Regards Basil

Some more info would be helpful; size and pictures as well. Values can vary vastly depending on what it is and how scarce. Sympathy Basil

What always puzzles me is: Are we talking about the colour of the paint or the colour that a loco looked like? Basically what it would look like would depend on lots of things especially both the "primer" layers and the varnish. Both would influence the final colour depending on the number of coats. And varnish would NOT be translucent clear and would have a yellow tinge which would get darker with age; indeed there was an entry in this site some years ago complaining that their Humbrol varnish had darkened even with current technology Loco Paint samples are only of use if what they represent is clear - observed colour or paint colour, and the you have to allow for ageing.

Triang/Hornby old 7 compartment clerestories have different sized compartments to the brake "3rd" - the later's compartments get 5 compartments into the space that the 7 compartment allocates to 4 1/2 approx ; ? different class? The seven compartment compartments are all the same size - so all same class. Based on a direct comparision of the models in front of me

Don't forget that the colour we see is amongst other variables influenced by the primer. paint layer and varnish coat(s) which even these days will vary in eg thickness, and age not to mention the effect of distance on what we see