Castle Aching

[Londontram]

Ah but a Jones loco would always knock a Drummond loco into a cocked hat looks wise....

 

Andy G

I'm sure you think so Greening but many would argue.  

[Nearholmer]

Last week I enthused about old coaches at the bucks railway centre; today I got very excited about the same on the Kent and East Sussex. We travelled on the vintage train, which has an secr short bogie family saloon, two secr four wheelers, Met four wheeler 353, and a bogie birdcage brake.

 

If you look really hard you can see them below, but a better bet is the KESR website.

 

The carriages on these railways are almost better than the locos.

[nick_bastable]

Last week I enthused about old coaches at the bucks railway centre; today I got very excited about the same on the Kent and East Sussex. We travelled on the vintage train, which has an secr short bogie family saloon, two secr four wheelers, Met four wheeler 353, and a bogie birdcage brake.

 

If you look really hard you can see them below, but a better bet is the KESR website.

 

The carriages on these railways are almost better than the locos.

with a fantastic museum at Tenterden ( said I declare with my occasional volunteer attendants hat on)

 

Nick

[Hroth]

Hello!

Oh, I say!

[PeterR]

Hi,

 

The family saloon you mention is also a Invalid saloon, its has double doors each side for the main compartment.

 

It is available as an 4mm etched kit from 'Branchlines', and transfers are available from Fox.

 

There is also a 6 wheel CCT from Branchlines to run with it.

 

The dark lake colour for both on the web look like a very dark brown, possibly with a touch of red, that does not seem to show up.

 

The colour shown on the KE&SR site much lighter.

 

No connection, just a customer

 

Yours Peter.

Edited August 12, 2017 by PeterR

[Edwardian]

Oh, I say!

 

Ding, D0ng!

[mullie]

Ding, D0ng!

Merrily on high?

[Edwardian]

Life has been very hectic.  There has been no modelling.  What time I have found has been devoted to dry-lining the lower half of a built-in cupboard for the Memsahib, to stop her spare tack getting mouldy. 

 

This is my carpentry, so there is always at least a 1 in 360 chance that I'll manage a right angle.  Anyway, it turned out reasonably well, so I decided to turn my attention to the lowest of the shelves housing railway books.  The Memsahib does really not approve of railways invading the Living Quarters, but we are now in a much smaller house, so this corner of the Sitting Room is the only place for them. 

 

The books on the lowest shelf had sat on the ground, and were starting to suffer; damp and mould was present in the corner.  You can see that I have built a platform so that they now sit off the ground, and I have dry-lined the walls.  There is both insulation and an air-gap, so fingers crossed that the books are now all set to survive a Durham winter.  

 

You can see that I have made temporary provision for the overspill!

 

[James Harrison]

Life has been very hectic.  There has been no modelling.  What time I have found has been devoted to dry-lining the lower half of a built-in cupboard for the Memsahib, to stop her spare tack getting mouldy. 

 

This is my carpentry, so there is always at least a 1 in 360 chance that I'll manage a right angle.  Anyway, it turned out reasonably well, so I decided to turn my attention to the lowest of the shelves housing railway books.  The Memsahib does really not approve of railways invading the Living Quarters, but we are now in a much smaller house, so this corner of the Sitting Room is the only place for them. 

 

The books on the lowest shelf had sat on the ground, and were starting to suffer; damp and mould was present in the corner.  You can see that I have built a platform so that they now sit off the ground, and I have dry-lined the walls.  There is both insulation and an air-gap, so fingers crossed that the books are now all set to survive a Durham winter.  

 

You can see that I have made temporary provision for the overspill!

 

(As my Mother would say) "Can we get rid of some of these books?" 

 

Yes, yes we can.  But then again we're not savages. 

[runs as required]

..."Can we get rid of some of these books?"

Yes, yes we can.  But then again ...

Aha! That's the dilemma..

One of my sons pretends he has none in his minimalist barn conversion - they are all stashed away in unsuitable outhouses.

His student years library was binned after it all went mildewed hidden away in the old coal hole under the pavement of his basement flat somewhere off the Bishop's bridge outside Paddington station.

The other son is ruthlessly managed by his wife. She has adapted William Morris's adage "Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful  or are certain you have not looked at within the last 6 months".

 

We have not yet made up our minds. We have about 3 generations of family's books around us. We are always losing books we really need but haven't actually got round to disposing of any.of the rest .

 

I had to assist in sorting my old professor's books with his family. Not an easy task  - but enjoyable because it involved two interesting stations -

Barter Books of Alnwick set out under the old terminus station glazed trainshed (where the last remaining wartime poster 'Keep Calm and Carry on' was uncovered by the American lady owner).

And Inch's books of Canal St, Oxford, adjacent to the old LNW Rewley Road station  made out of Paxton's Crystal Palace components.

dh

.

Edited August 13, 2017 by runs as required

[James Harrison]

Aha! That's the dilemma..

One of my sons pretends he has none in his minimalist barn conversion - they are all stashed away in unsuitable outhouses.

His student years library was binned after it all went mildewed hidden away in the old coal hole under the pavement of his basement flat somewhere off the Bishop's bridge outside Paddington station.

The other son is ruthlessly managed by his wife. She has adapted William Morris's adage "Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful  or are certain you have not looked at within the last 6 months".

 

We have not yet made up our minds. We have about 3 generations of family's books around us. We are always losing books we really need but haven't actually got round to disposing of any.of the rest .

 

I had to assist in sorting my old professor's books with his family. Not an easy task  - but enjoyable because it involved two interesting stations -

Barter Books of Alnwick set out under the old terminus station glazed trainshed (where the last remaining wartime poster 'Keep Calm and Carry on' was uncovered by the American lady owner).

And Inch's books of Canal St, Oxford, adjacent to the old LNW Rewley Road station  made out of Paxton's Crystal Palace components.

dh

.

 

This is why I am insistent that any house I consider buying has to have a room that could do duty as a library. 

[runs as required]

This is why I am insistent that any house I consider buying has to have a room that could do duty as a library. 

mmm... a bit inadequate:

any house I consider buying has to do duty as a library.

dh

[Andy Hayter]

I have done likewise to James Harrison.  With over 6500 railway books, magazines and the like I have a lot of shelving.  It is one end of the upper floor of the barn and half of one side.  By barn, I mean a building that was originally so designated but is now insulated, water tight and in part centrally heated.

Edited August 13, 2017 by Andy Hayter

[Edwardian]

I have done likewise to James Harrison.  With over 6500 railway books, magazines and the like I have a lot of shelving.  It is one end of the upper floor of the barn and half of one side.  By barn, I mean a building that was originally so designated but is now insulated, water tight and in part centrally heated.

 

I now don't feel that I have been at all excessive having read that!

 

Still, not sure the Memsahib will respond well to "It's only a small collection, one chap I know has over 6,500 ..."

[Nearholmer]

Nice work Edwardian.

 

Scratch a railway enthusiast, and you will find a book and magazine problem!

 

I ruthlessly downsized my lot when we moved, seven years ago, but guess what? In the process, I discovered the book shop at the bucks railway centre, where the enthusiasts of two counties donate as they downsize, and have upsized again! The trouble is twofold: a lot of the donations come from guys of very long standing, so it is a wonderful place for much older books and magazines; and, the chap who runs it prices to sell, and since he gets the stock for free, and built the premises himself on free land, that means 'far too temptingly'!

 

The "if not used for six months" rule is good, in theory, until enacted, at which point one instantly 'needs' something just disposed of,

[TheQ]

I am fortunate that SWMBO doesn't complain about my books, that's because she has as many as me. Her are art and crafts and animals, mine are R*****y and muddling and history.

We allocated the spare bedroom as a library when we moved in, but they. are spilling out into the muddle R*****y, and art shed.

[Edwardian]

This is why I am insistent that any house I consider buying has to have a room that could do duty as a library. 

 

Well, I did manage to have a library. The railway books were housed elsewhere, though.  Now everything is shoe-horned into a small sitting room.

 

The house (with its library!) is still for sale, so if anyone is struggling for room for their books .....

[Compound2632]

My vote would be for the Johnson style safety valve bonnet to be in brass, and the forward dome to be painted...

 

Andy G

Agree. Johnson's domes always painted. When home from holiday will check if any Midland Engines reveal what they were made of.

[corneliuslundie]

My wife reads minimalist blogs but is not a minimalist (she bought a book today). She takes the line from one of her heroines "Does it give you joy?" If it does, keep it.

I downsized by collection of railway books by a third before we went to Kosova, and only took half the remainder. We have been back four years and the collection is roughly back to its original size, though i now have a rule that when the shelves are full something has to go, as we have only a small house.

Additionally, I passed several sets of journal bound volumes to my son on indefinite loan, which means i can borrow them back if I need to.

I bought a lot of books very cheaply when they were being sold at ridiculously reduced prices at Smiths on Waterloo station in the 1970s. Some I have kept but many I decided that were of the "one read" variety.

The growth area these days is magazines, even though I only belong to three societies and only regularly buy Model Railway Journal.

Jonathan

[Talltim]

Additionally, I passed several sets of journal bound volumes to my son on indefinite loan, which means i can borrow them back if I need to.

Ali keeps threatening to take them back to you when we visit...

Edwardian, I think you should be OK until the volume of your railway library exceeds the volume of a horse.

Edited August 14, 2017 by Talltim

[Edwardian]

Ali keeps threatening to take them back to you when we visit...

Edwardian, I think you should be OK until the volume of your railway library exceeds the volume of a horse.

 

I like that logic, because, if it holds true, then I could, presumably, have any size layout I liked, provided that it didn't exceed the size of 1 1/2 acres of grazing and an outdoor manège!

[ATT]

volume of a horse.

Oh dear. Is the volume of a horse negotiable in this case or is there a standard value?

[Caley Jim]

Oh dear. Is the volume of a horse negotiable in this case or is there a standard value?

Depends whether it's a Shetland or a Clydesdale!

 

Jim

[Talltim]

A shunting horse, of course

Edited August 14, 2017 by Talltim

[Nearholmer]

It's fairly easy to find the volume of a horse:

 

1) measure, very carefully, the dimensions of the interior of the horse's stable;

 

2) calculate the interior volume of the stable;

 

3) carefully seal all of the aperatures in its stable with caulking;

 

4) lead the horse into the stable, close the door and seal it carefully with waterproof tape;

 

5) fill the stable completely, right up to the ceiling, with water, using a hosepipe;

 

6) carefully siphon all of the water out, into a calibrated container;

 

7) the difference between the volume of the stable interior and the volume of water in the container is the volume of the horse.

 

If you require that the horse should survive the measuring process, it can very simply be provided with a snorkel-set with flexible breathing tube, but remember to account for the volume of the snorkel-set that is inside the stable when carrying out your calculations.