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I quote from the excellent GERS website (https://www.gersociety.org.uk/index.php/rolling-stock/carriages/types-5-8):

 

In a commendable effort to assemble a train having at least a strong family likeness if not an identical appearance the nine vehicles built between 1892 and 1906 retained several design features otherwise discarded in the development of the ordinary stock from the mid 1890's onwards, including radiused corners to the window heads. For this reason they are now described as a complete group rather than dealing with them in strict chronological order.

 

The first to be described appeared in 1892 in the shape of a saloon for the Princess of Wales. It ... had a body length of 34ft 6ins (D4) and contained a small saloon with adjoining lavatory, a 1st compartment and ample luggage space. Neither this carriage nor any subsequent royal stock were fitted with gangways.

 

This was followed in 1894 by a royal composite (D207) built for the Duke of York and completed in time for his marriage to the future Queen Mary. Unlike most other royal carriages it lacked an open saloon but it did have a small boudoir, a facility one looks for in vain in today’s trains.

 

The next vehicle was a 41ft long bogie saloon (D17) for the Prince of Wales, completed in 1897. It comprised an open saloon, lavatory facilities, a separate smoking compartment and a compartment for servants. [Drawing below]

 

In the following year the Princess of Wales was favoured with her own saloon (D5), to the improved length of 48ft 3ins which gave sufficient space for a saloon at each end as well as the other accommodation provided for the Prince of Wales [This appears to be the preserved vehicle picture below]. Both these saloons had Fox's steel frames.

 

A pair of 41ft long luggage composite carriages (D210) also appeared in 1898 having two 1st class compartments and two 3rd's all with lavatory access and intended for carrying royal guests.

 

On 22 January 1901 Queen Victoria died and in May an order was placed for a new 50ft royal saloon (D21) for the new King. Alone of the royal stock this had a clerestory roof, in contrast to the low elliptical profile used for all the other new and converted carriages. The saloon had conventional timber frames; the unease with which the GER viewed steel frames for its superior saloons is emphasised by the early replacement of the Fox's frames in favour of timber for the Princess of Wales saloon.

 

The last royal vehicles in this group were another two luggage composites (D228) for royal guests of similar layout to the 1898 examples. These had 48ft 3ins bodies, an odd length for the period, but one which allowed the inclusion of an additional 3rd class compartment.

 

It would seem that one, at least, of the Royal coaches survived.  The Furness Railway Trust has No.5, built in 1898 for the then Princess of Wales, Princess Alexandra, the wife of the future King Edward VII. It had two saloons at either end of the vehicle, as well as a smoking compartment, servants quarters and lavatory.

post-25673-0-17045300-1485208965.jpg

post-25673-0-82619900-1485209811.jpg

Edited by Edwardian
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Mention of the GER Royal train caused me to recall this image in the paper a few days ago.

attachicon.gifGER royal train.jpg

It is of the Antarctic Halley research station about to wander off in search of a crackfree spot on the ice to rest its weary legs.

It has something of the pleasantly irregular profile of rolling stock of varying provenance on a remote light railway.

dh

In my mind I can see Thunderbirds 1 and 2 arriving to save the day, when it finds a big crack in the ice and falls in!

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Mention of the GER Royal train caused me to recall this image in the paper a few days ago.

attachicon.gifGER royal train.jpg

It is of the Antarctic Halley research station about to wander off in search of a crackfree spot on the ice to rest its weary legs.

It has something of the pleasantly irregular profile of rolling stock of varying provenance on a remote light railway.

dh

 

It looks like it will attempt to walk which should be amusing.

Don

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I think having assembled a research team who are busy finding all sorts of interesting oddities for you must count as a major achievement. Frankly I doubt whether anyone sat in an armchair could have found as much. Whether any of it is of use is naturally a different matter still the ride is good and there is enough of the town built to know where we are headed.

Don

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Some of the back issues of the GE Soc journal have had a long running carriage article. This has had drawings in, but I can't remember seeing any 6 wheelers, but then I've only had a look at some that my dad was given..

 

Get hold of the drawings and then get a cutter and bobs your uncle!

 

Andy G

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Of course "Bobs your uncle" is appropriate as the Nephew was prime minister in 1905, thanks to his uncle Bob "Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury".

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I would like to thank the person who pointed me towards the Vintage Everyday website.  There is a lot that is really not very good, as far as I am concerned, but there is some stuff that is.  Here are 'Edwardian Hats'.  'Edwardian' is a loose term and appears to cover from the 1890s up to proably 1920 at the latest.  However, in future when I modify a figure I will never have to say, 'That hat just looks plonked on top of her head, doesn't seem to fit', or 'Her head is not in the middle'.  Still will not stop the critics though.

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I would like to thank the person who pointed me towards the Vintage Everyday website.  There is a lot that is really not very good, as far as I am concerned, but there is some stuff that is.  Here are 'Edwardian Hats'.  'Edwardian' is a loose term and appears to cover from the 1890s up to proably 1920 at the latest.  However, in future when I modify a figure I will never have to say, 'That hat just looks plonked on top of her head, doesn't seem to fit', or 'Her head is not in the middle'.  Still will not stop the critics though.

I think that was me! The quality does vary a lot, and it's often not clear what country they were taken in, as well as the date, but there's some great stuff on there.

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On the subject of Edwardian fashion, here is my grandmother as a young woman. I think she is in mourning - they were pretty well always in mourning for someone - and that thing on her wrist is, I think, not a watch but some kind of mourning bracelet.

 

Note how smart she is! Ok, this is not everyday working gear, but on the other hand she wasn't a duchess or anything like it. I think she would not have gone outside without a hat or some kind of head-covering, as that would not have been 'respectable'. But note the hair style. 

 

 

post-7150-0-60678800-1485451223_thumb.jpg

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My mother's family had a thing about wheels, although regrettably not those on rails! Here is my Great Uncle Percy and his father's bike - I think it was an early auto-cycle.

 

post-14351-0-27339800-1485452903.jpg

 

and my Great-grandmother and her twin daughters.

 

post-14351-0-81580100-1485452965_thumb.jpg

Edited by phil_sutters
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On the subject of Edwardian fashion, here is my grandmother as a young woman. I think she is in mourning - they were pretty well always in mourning for someone - and that thing on her wrist is, I think, not a watch but some kind of mourning bracelet.

 

Note how smart she is! Ok, this is not everyday working gear, but on the other hand she wasn't a duchess or anything like it. I think she would not have gone outside without a hat or some kind of head-covering, as that would not have been 'respectable'. But note the hair style. 

 

 

attachicon.gifGrandmaw.jpg

 

Indeed, so much for progress.

 

Now where did I leave those spats ...?

 

 

My mother's family had a thing about wheels, although regrettably not those on rails! Here is my Great Uncle Percy and his father's bike - I think it was an early auto-cycle.

 

attachicon.gifPercy Pritchard aged 7 with his father's bike in 1903.jpg

 

and my Great-grandmother and her twin daughters.

 

attachicon.gifDouglas motorcycle c1925.jpg

 

Delightful pictures.

 

I am particularly gratified that young Percy, who is clearly 'in-period', appears to be passing part of the Castle Aching ruins.

 

Oh dear, another modelling challenge to which I will be sadly unequal!

 

Happy 100 to you all.  It will be Happy Anniversary in a few days, too.

 

Really must try to get something done!

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Delightful pictures.

 

I am particularly gratified that young Percy, who is clearly 'in-period', appears to be passing part of the Castle Aching ruins.

 

Oh dear, another modelling challenge to which I will be sadly unequal!

 

 

Now there's a challenge for Andrew Stadden! He can't complain that it's an action pose. I know he likes all his subjects to be in static stances.

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We now live in a fairly compact house.  Generally I prefer this to our previous abode, as it is easier to heat, and keep tidy and clean.  It does mean that there is nowhere to perch the CA village board except the dining table, and it means that the dining room opens onto the kitchen.

 

This morning, whilst attempting to make toast (would you believe?), I managed to set fire to the kitchen.

 

My main concern is whether we can soldier on with the oven until we can afford to replace it.

 

There may also be a suspension of privileges, such as they were.

 

The good news is that, at first glance, the village does not seem to have suffered smoke or heat damage.  It will probably need a careful clean, but I think, such as it was, it has survived intact.

 

Phew!

 

The episode reminded me of the time in Father Ted when the wives of the parish go off after the TV Priest and their husbands are left to fend for themselves with predictably extreme consequences.

   

Possibly I should buy a toaster.

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Hope it wasn't too threatening a conflagration.

 

Keeping a small kitchen tidy, with the stream of low-grade chaos that seems to follow children about is not easy, and I've nearly started a blaze in the past, by having bits of paper (why do schools seem to issue more paperwork than a French post office?) too close to the stove when cooking.

 

I had a serious roasting from my good lady this very morning about the topic of kitchen tidiness, me having been PIC of the kitchen yesterday and at breakfast this morning, and she being at home today.

 

So ...... Commiserations.

 

K

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SM - no volunteering was involved; something closer to conscription has occurred while I have been at home much more than ever before in recent months.

 

The trouble is, I think, that, on the days when it is my turn, there is a PICoK (me), and PICoPICoK (the established ruler of that area).

 

'Nuf said; I'm going to over-cook the bolognese sauce if I don't pay more attention to it.

 

K

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.  Presumably to be met at the station by a Troop of Yeomanry cavalry?

 

Would a troop of BCW 10 be an acceptable alternative? There's a picture of a decidedly menacing bunch of them if you scroll down. You can also recruit some rustic protesters from this supplier as well.

http://www.irregularminiatures.co.uk/20mmRanges/20mmAveryBritishCivilWar.htm

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I am not allowed Burnt toast. Nothing to do with the recent news item instead it is down to the smoke/heat alarm which aggravates Mrs so toast is only allowed a mild tanning. I was involved in building a test cooker hood with some supposedly 'flame resistant' material. We installed a cooker in a brick outbuilding. The cooker hood was given a light dusting of cooking oil and a large panfull placed on the cooker a the ring turned full on. It took some time to burst into flames but once going it did set the cooker hood on fire including the flame resistant material. Once that was nicely alight we turned the power off and tried to extinguish the fire at which point we discovered that several extinguisher garnered from around the factory were in fact useless. However a powerful CO2 one restored order.  So I feel some skill must have been involved in setting alight a kitchen from a mere slice of toast or two!

Bad luck it could well mean that use of the kitchen or nearby areas for modelling may be an issue.

 

Don

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Would a troop of BCW 10 be an acceptable alternative? There's a picture of a decidedly menacing bunch of them if you scroll down. You can also recruit some rustic protesters from this supplier as well.

http://www.irregularminiatures.co.uk/20mmRanges/20mmAveryBritishCivilWar.htm

 

That is interesting.  While I have long known of Irregular Miniatures, I had not realised that they had introduced this range.  There is game, rules and troop lists and so forth, called A very British Civil War.  It is, I believe, set in something like 1938.  I know little about it save that there was a 28mm Scale figure range to go with it, which appeared to represent various factions and organisations in British society under arms, not just Fascists and Communists, but Royal and feudal factions.  I had no idea that Irregular had started a 20mm range for this.

 

Naturally I am thinking whether any of these armed civilian figures are worth adapting as unarmed civilians!

 

I am not sure that the idea of members of the West Norfolk Foxhounds, dressed for the hunt but also armed with carbines and equipped with ammunition bandoliers, would be entirely appropriate!

 

All this Royal Train diversion caused me to return to the idea of depicting the Yeomanry.  We have, as you know, one Yeomanry Officer extant. Ultimately I would love to model the Yeomanry on exercise.  Either a patrol or in the station yard loading cattle trucks and horse boxes in order to go off to Annual Camp by train.

 

Until now I had not considered representing the ceremonial function.  Inspired by the possibility of a Royal visit, a had a little Google an identified a second-hand volume on the Yeomanry units of Norfolk for a princely £1.98, so I have ordered it.  I should be able to post some more detail on the uniforms once this arrives.

 

 

I am not allowed Burnt toast. Nothing to do with the recent news item instead it is down to the smoke/heat alarm which aggravates Mrs so toast is only allowed a mild tanning. I was involved in building a test cooker hood with some supposedly 'flame resistant' material. We installed a cooker in a brick outbuilding. The cooker hood was given a light dusting of cooking oil and a large panfull placed on the cooker a the ring turned full on. It took some time to burst into flames but once going it did set the cooker hood on fire including the flame resistant material. Once that was nicely alight we turned the power off and tried to extinguish the fire at which point we discovered that several extinguisher garnered from around the factory were in fact useless. However a powerful CO2 one restored order.  So I feel some skill must have been involved in setting alight a kitchen from a mere slice of toast or two!

Bad luck it could well mean that use of the kitchen or nearby areas for modelling may be an issue.

 

Don

 

It might have been more accurate to have said that it had been my intention to make toast.

 

In fact, I did not get so far as to introduce bread to the grill.  I left the grill elements to heat up, neglecting to remove a grill pan, which, it turned out was full of fat, which ignited.  The rest of the oven interior then caught.

 

By the time I arrived en scène things had gone too far for damp cloth smothering, or turning off the grill, to avail me, and closing the oven door failed to starve the conflagration of oxygen.  

 

It was thus very gingerly that I removed the blazing grill pan from the oven and, careful to avoid torching the house on my route outside, eventually extinguished it by overturning it on the lawn.  I am sure the grass will grow back eventually. 

 

I think I am entitle to a Numpty of the Week award for this episode. 

 

And so, to work .... 

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I almost set fire to the kitchen at home, with believe it or not, a toaster. New four slice toaster had been purchased a week before, and this particular day had been loaded with the full compliment of bread. I retire to the living room (separated by the dining room) and, because I like my toast cold, sit down and start something. About 15 mins later the smoke alarm goes off, by which time there is smoke pouring out of the top of the taster with a gentle flicker of flame as an added garnish. As the toaster sits under a cupboard there was a very real risk of the cupboard catching light... Fortunately I managed to disconnect it from the mains and smoother with a damp tea towel, leaving only the smoke damaged cupboard to sort out, which somewhat screwed up my pleasant day off.

Needless to say the melted remains of the toaster were taken back for replacement.

 

Good luck with the clearing up.

 

Andy G

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I almost set fire to the kitchen at home, with believe it or not, a toaster. New four slice toaster had been purchased a week before, and this particular day had been loaded with the full compliment of bread. I retire to the living room (separated by the dining room) and, because I like my toast cold, sit down and start something. About 15 mins later the smoke alarm goes off, by which time there is smoke pouring out of the top of the taster with a gentle flicker of flame as an added garnish. As the toaster sits under a cupboard there was a very real risk of the cupboard catching light... Fortunately I managed to disconnect it from the mains and smoother with a damp tea towel, leaving only the smoke damaged cupboard to sort out, which somewhat screwed up my pleasant day off.

Needless to say the melted remains of the toaster were taken back for replacement.

 

Good luck with the clearing up.

 

Andy G

 

Impressive, though, as you were let down by faulty equipment, not your own idiocy, no Numpty Award for you!

 

Nice try though!

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