Castle Aching

[Edwardian]

13 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

The downunder equivalent was "Seven Little Australians". 

 

All  we   1970's  Little Australians were inconsolable   when the tree fell on Judy.

 

 

 

And surprised.  With so many of Nature's creatures out to get you, who saw the tree coming?

[wagonman]

6 hours ago, Annie said:

With the USA's lax attitudes towards gun control I'm surprised that no one has shot him by now.

 

Dream on. It's only lefties and liberals who get shot in the US (Wild generalisation alert).

[Hroth]

1 hour ago, Edwardian said:

And surprised.  With so many of Nature's creatures out to get you, who saw the tree coming?

 

I bet they didn't show all the Koalas at the top of the tree, causing it to fall on One Little Australian*......

 

"And if one Eucalyptus, should accidentally fall, there'll be SIX little Australians...."

 

 

* Oops - continuing Germano-American influences!

[Dave John]

I knew nothing about the Southlands Wooden Railway and the involvement of so many ex-pat Scots in its construction,  but the above pic led me to find out about it. 

 

https://the-lothians.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-saga-of-southlands-wooden-railway.html

 

An interesting read, I particularly liked the quote '

 

" The old loco carried a lot of copper and brass fittings and ornaments, and these were at that time valuable scrap, so along with the cast iron cylinders, they were sold to an Invercargill foundry in exchange for a turnip ridger worth £28."

 

Anyway , an interesting diversion from decorating. 

 

 

 

[Tom Burnham]

53 minutes ago, Dave John said:

I knew nothing about the Southlands Wooden Railway and the involvement of so many ex-pat Scots in its construction,  but the above pic led me to find out about it. 

 

https://the-lothians.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-saga-of-southlands-wooden-railway.html

 

An interesting read, I particularly liked the quote '

 

" The old loco carried a lot of copper and brass fittings and ornaments, and these were at that time valuable scrap, so along with the cast iron cylinders, they were sold to an Invercargill foundry in exchange for a turnip ridger worth £28."

 

Anyway , an interesting diversion from decorating. 

 

 

 

Thank you - some very interesting material in the author's other blog posts.  I liked the one on the etiquette of calling cards.

Edited June 4, 2019 by Tom Burnham

[Regularity]

5 hours ago, Dave John said:

exchange for a turnip ridger

Ooh. Having your turnips ridged sounds extremely painful!

[Hroth]

9 hours ago, Dave John said:

I knew nothing about the Southlands Wooden Railway and the involvement of so many ex-pat Scots in its construction,  but the above pic led me to find out about it. 

 

https://the-lothians.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-saga-of-southlands-wooden-railway.html

 

An interesting read, I particularly liked the quote '

 

" The old loco carried a lot of copper and brass fittings and ornaments, and these were at that time valuable scrap, so along with the cast iron cylinders, they were sold to an Invercargill foundry in exchange for a turnip ridger worth £28."

 

Anyway , an interesting diversion from decorating. 

 

 

 

 

A bit of inflation over the ensuing years, this one is on offer for about £50...

https://picclick.co.uk/Henderson-Ltd-2-raw-turnip-ridger-not-Ferguson-132568735870.html

 

 

11 hours ago, Annie said:

Their big mistake was the wooden rails which were never going to work with the axle loading they put on them.

 

I recall a description of an early motor car: "Wooden wheels, wooden axles, wouldn't run..."

 

[Edwardian]

Some things are in progress ...

 

Most of my spare time the last couple of weekends has been devoted to making the Achingheim habitable.  This is something I intended to do two summers ago.  If I, finally, get it done this summer, the layout can be set up permanently and worked on throughout the year. 

 

As parishioners old enough in topic years (a bit like a dog; one feels like at least seven) may recall the dusty interior of the stone workshop where CA will reside. 

 

March 2017:

 

 

This is June 2017:

 

 

September 2017:

 

 

The major task, and investment, will be some insulation in the rafters.  This is yet to come to pass. 

 

What occupies me at present is some minimal dry-lining that is necessary to keep the layout off the damp walls.  The damp is not very bad, but when, a couple of years ago, I repainted the walls white, within weeks the old discoloration was back. 

 

My minimal solution involves fixing battens to the walls and facing with hardboard, the the back of which about an inch of insulation has been attached, leaving a inch air gap between that and the wall.  Whereas this does not make the place snug and efficient by domestic standards, I think it will suffice for the layout's habitat. 

 

This weekend, fingers crossed, should see me through this task, after which I can set the layout up again. 

[Annie]

Excellent news James.  Once the interior of the old stone workshop is set to rights you'll really be able to roll your sleeves up and get on with building your own little railway empire.

[Buhar]

Please don't use hardboard, James it soaks up the slightest bit of moisture.  Ply would be better, or plasterboard if you get a vapour barrier in there too.  I know there's always a budget to bear in mind, but half-penny-worth of tar and all that.

[uax6]

Unless it is oil-tempered of course. That stuff lasts for years outside (and even longer under your kitchen lino)...

 

Andy G

[Andy Hayter]

Something like this may save you some work James

https://www.diy.com/departments/gyproc-insulated-tapered-edge-plasterboard-l-2400mm-w-1200mm-t-22mm/119541_BQ.prd

You will still need battens, but they could be a bit thinner, and the air gap arrives automatically

[Hroth]

You also need to leave an inch gap at the bottom of your dry lining to allow air to circulate and carry any damp away.

 

(It also keeps the spiders happy too...)

 

Its good to see that progress is being made on the AchingLebensraum!

[wagonbasher]

7 hours ago, Buhar said:

Please don't use hardboard, James it soaks up the slightest bit of moisture.  Ply would be better, or plasterboard if you get a vapour barrier in there too.  I know there's always a budget to bear in mind, but half-penny-worth of tar and all that.

 

 

I was was also thinking plasterboard would be better.  I am doing the same job, admittedly to a modern but single brick build but I will just tape the joints with paper and paint the whole thing.

 

andy

[Edwardian]

Hardboard it is, I'm afraid.

 

I rent, so this is a temporary job. If it lasts five or six years, that will probably be enough.  That might be how long it takes to be in a position to buy somewhere with a room for a large shed!

 

In the meantime, the boards, including several of the cardboard buildings, have been in the shed since October, and appear to have survived the winter, so the levels of damp and cold probably do not require better materials.  So long as the layout is off the walls, I suspect it will be OK.  

 

Also, this way the lining doubles as the backscene!  

[Edwardian]

Imagine a furtive meeting in the otherwise deserted Public Bar of the Shepherd's Port Grand Hotel. A manila envelope is pushed silently across a table.  It is deftly secreted and, in return, a small red box slides across the polished oak in the other direction.

 

Of course, this is not at all how the Directors of the Joint Committee acquire motive power for the Bishop's Lynn Tramway, nor, indeed, does it represent how Linny and I conduct our business, but, howsoever these things are done, a well-wrapped package arrived yesterday containing ... 

 

 

This is A Boon, as I want a brace of G15s to provide the GER's contribution to the Tramway's fleet. 

 

Aside from a missing cow-catcher, there is nothing here that I need that is lacking.  Aside from one drooping headstock, the part-build looks sound, saving me much time, for which I will be grateful in due course.  

 

 

 

Why two?  Well, I have a whitemetal C53.  As a 1903 design, it would be in period, but only two were built this year and no others until 1908.  Someone did point out to me that the C53 was not really suitable.  I had the temerity to disagree at the time, but since then I have revised my view.  As a new design with only two built, it is unlikely that the Bishop's Lynn Tramway would have seen one by 1905, unless a third was built in 1903, specifically for the line.  Rather than get into the complexities of a fake number for a real class, I would prefer to go for two of the older and smaller class.  The C53 can visit, perhaps to assist with heavy seasonal fruit traffic?

 

One of the happy happenstances is that you can get a motor bogie of the right w/b with, IIRC, pretty much the correct wheel diameter.  this means the right numbers of wheel in the right places can be glimpsed beneath the skirts.

 

Now I laid in one of these motor bogies against the day I found a G15 and I can report that it sits wholly beneath floor level.  Provided that I make the roof and boiler removable against the day I need to unbolt the motor bogie, a practical fitting arrangement should be straightforward and leve the interior wholly open to be detailed.

 

 

I think that I am lucky to have such an easy route to my first G15, so many thanks to Linny for that. 

 

I have, requiring repair and completion, the D&S W&UT 4-wheel and bogie coach, and the W&UT luggage van, so a complete GER tramway passenger train is now on the stocks, awaiting its turn in the Shops.

 

For the second G15, I would need a GER 10-Ton goods brake but otherwise I can pretty much run any of the layout's other goods stock with it.

  

 

 

[jwealleans]

D&S or PMK?

 

IMO the best thing you can fit to these is a BullAnt, once Geoff Baxter resumes production.

Edited June 5, 2019 by jwealleans

[Edwardian]

5 minutes ago, jwealleans said:

D&S or PMK?

 

The G15?

 

Well, I am aware that D&S produced both a whitemetal and an etched G15.  In the absence of any knowledge of any other etched kit, I would have assumed that it was D&S, but there is no original box and no instructions, so I do not know. 

[Buhar]

If the roof is well formed, the addition of a little piece of ferrous metal affixed and a couple of neo-whats-it magnets could see you right. 

Alan 

[jwealleans]

The chassis has the look of a Jim McGeown kit about it.  I have one unstarted, I'll take a look when I get home.

[Edwardian]

8 minutes ago, jwealleans said:

D&S or PMK?

 

IMO the best thing you can fit to these is a BullAnt, once Geoff Baxter resumes production.

 

Thanks, Jonathan. I can consider a Bull-Ant for a second G15, but as the motor bogie I have is the correct w/b and there is plenty of room for it under the floor, I'm be inclined not to waste the £45 I spent on it!

 

I daresay I'll have to introduce some weight above it, perhaps by packing the boiler with lead!

[Skinnylinny]

Glad to see it's arrived safely, and that motor bogie looks like a good fit too. I'll look forward to watching it come together!

[Edwardian]

1 minute ago, Skinnylinny said:

Glad to see it's arrived safely, and that motor bogie looks like a good fit too. I'll look forward to watching it come together!

 

Thanks.

 

Yes, hopefully I won't have too much scope to muck this one up!

 

[Annie]

Nice, very nice indeed James.  I like G15s, - very useful wee engines (but then I would say that wouldn't I.)

[RedGemAlchemist]

My jealousy abounds, James. I'm still trying to get my hands on one.