Castle Aching

[Edwardian]

2 hours ago, Annie said:

My own children were very keen on the Games Workshop Fantasy ruleset when they were younger and it was their influence that got me into fantasy wargaming.  Unfortunately as they got older they lost interest leaving me with several armies and no-one to play against.  I did join a local wargaming club, but it was very much a gathering of chaps who were escaping their womenfolk so I was never made to feel particularly welcome.  And then I moved away from the city to the rural countryside where there isn't a miniature wargaming club within 250 kilometres and all my armies are now packed away and I haven't looked at them for years.

 

Truth be told I was more into painting figures than being a successful general, but considering the hours my children and I spent playing fantasy wargaming it certainly wasn't time wasted by any means.

 

 

Do you know, I've never played a wargame in my life. Would love to, but never had the opportunity.  Whether fantasy or historicals, I like painting the figures.  I organise them into notional wargames units (you need a figure ratio for a start), but have never done anything with them. 

 

Never had much time for Games Workshop's view of life. 

[Nearholmer]

1 minute ago, Edwardian said:

Never had much time for Games Workshop's view of life. 

 

They sell pretty good paint, if you can get beyond the strange names they give to colours. Someone on here the other day was recommending touching-up the lower side of a scuffed Deltic (which isn't a sentence you hear everyday) using "Rotting Flesh".

[CKPR]

10 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

 

Do you know, I've never played a wargame in my life. Would love to, but never had the opportunity.  Whether fantasy or historicals, I like painting the figures.  I organise them into notional wargames units (you need a figure ratio for a start), but have never done anything with them. 

 

 

 

http://vintagewargaming.blogspot.com/

[ChrisN]

I held out against Games Workshop as I was not happy with their view of life and we played wargames with 1/72 figures and our own rules.  You name it we played the period and had rubbish rules for all sorts of things.  In the end I gave in, Warhammer 40k has units that are a reasonable size, games that last hours, not weeks, and proper rules.  The downside is the hose that is attached to your pocket, and the pockets of your children, that sucks all the money out.  The narrow gauge layout we bought for my middle son  was used more as a base for wargames.

 

James, perhaps you could paint a platoon or two as a trade for track laying and wiring.

[Edwardian]

2 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

 

They sell pretty good paint, if you can get beyond the strange names they give to colours. Someone on here the other day was recommending touching-up the lower side of a scuffed Deltic (which isn't a sentence you hear everyday) using "Rotting Flesh".

 

Used to use their Bleached Bone for absolutely everything.  Then then changed the range.

 

I drink Yorkshire Tea now I use Vallejo paints now.

 

1 hour ago, CKPR said:

Returning to track and electrics, if you were to go for commercial trackwork (electrofrog please !), you can play the pre-grouping card and indulge in some deep over the sleepers ballasting to disguise it's origins. Similarly, feel free to post the CA track plan and we'll be happy to work up the electrics (as long as it's DC !).

 

It remains to be seen whether my cross-laced turnout sleepers will be visible under the top dressing.  If not , I can be rather more lax next time!

 

2 hours ago, CKPR said:

My wargaming days were over 40 years ago and all strictly 20th century but if I ever took it up again, I think I would be more interested in the so-called 'Colonial Era' with an army of 20mm brave chaps and fearless sepoys.

 

No sign yet that increasing Wokeness will decolonise wargaming, but I'm sure it will come.

 

In the meantime, look lively lad, there's Zulus out there, fousands of 'em!

 

 

 

 

[Edwardian]

1 hour ago, Northroader said:

 

old Wiltshire saying: “Red ‘at, no knickers”.

 

You know, when I were a Lad, that were a Yorkshire phrase.

 

Also indicative that a young lady was "no better than she ought to be" was the sporting of a "Castleford hairdo"

 

This was all very confusing when I was growing up. 

 

[Edwardian]

1 hour ago, webbcompound said:

I think the mistake inherent in our hobby is imagining we can be competent in all aspects of layout delivery. 

 

Fair, though my mistake is in imagining that I could be competent in any of them.  Before kind parishioners pray in aid my cardboard fumblings, the layout is supposed to be a model railway.  Anything concerning the railway aspect of a model railway seems entirely beyond me!  Ho hum.

[CKPR]

3 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

 

Fair, though my mistake is in imagining that I could be competent in any of them.  Before kind parishioners pray in aid my cardboard fumblings, the layout is supposed to be a model railway.  Anything concerning the railway aspect of a model railway seems entirely beyond me!  Ho hum.

You're in good company - John Ahern, Roye England, Dave Rowe, Bob Barlow, etc

 

Edited January 2, 2021 by CKPR

[CKPR]

52 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

In the meantime, look lively lad, there's Zulus out there, fousands of 'em!

All my 20mm Martini-Henry ammunition boxes will be modelled open...

Edited January 3, 2021 by CKPR

[Nearholmer]

If all else fails, you could model the WNR in repose, as the Potteries, Shrewsbury & North Western was at your period.

 

But, all else won't fail.

[Edwardian]

22 minutes ago, CKPR said:

All my 20mm Martini-Henry ammunition boxes will be modelled open...

 

Well, if you had 20mm ammo (as opposed to .577/450) the Zulus should be worried!

 

Apparently you really did need to see the whites of their eyes with Martinis, as the round went subsonic after about 300 yards and accuracy dramatically tailed off after that.

[Edwardian]

Anyway, despite all my Dark Night of the Soul whinging, I managed something today.....

 

[Annie]

42 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

No sign yet that increasing Wokeness will decolonise wargaming, but I'm sure it will come.

 

In the meantime, look lively lad, there's Zulus out there, fousands of 'em!

 

For a short while I played a colonial version of Victorian Sci-Fi which the Woke brigade of today would positively froth at the mouth over if not faint into a state of cataplexy at the thought of it.  I obtained huge numbers of pith helmeted British troops and beturbaned Sikhs as well as every variety of colonial native race that had been manufactured to 25mm scale in soft plastic.  I made steam powered walking machines, gunboats and goodness knows what else from cardboard and various oddments of this and that; - and I was poised to do battle for the glory of the Empire.  Only I quickly discovered that playing solo wargaming was actually frightfully boring and to top it off I was sure my opponent was cheating.

 

In the end I offered the whole lot for free on our local auction website and some poor fool came and took it all away.  I think some of the bicycle troops might have escaped though, - I'm sure I saw them hiding in a box just the other day.

 

This was another set of colonial rules I was particularly keen on at one stage,  -   https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/133265/gunboat-diplomacy

 

But I could never get anybody interested in it; - 25mm scale gunboats, - what's not to like. 

I don't think it's possible to find a copy of the rules now and I've lost the only copy I had.  

 

Edit:  The trick to painting soft plastic figures is to prime them in good quality waterproof PVA first.  Once you've done that they'll paint up no trouble at all.  The type of plastic glue based on a superglue formula that uses a primer that you wipe on the join first will glue soft plastic figure together without any problems.

 

Edited January 3, 2021 by Annie
More information

[CKPR]

8 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

Well, if you had 20mm ammo (as opposed to .577/450) the Zulus should be worried!

If the British Army had 20mm, sorry .78",  ammo in 1879, they'd have been worried as they would have still been equipped  with the muzzle-loading 1851 pattern Enfield !

[Annie]

9 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

Anyway, despite all my Dark Night of the Soul whinging, I managed something today.....

 

Well done!  With my own enthusiasm for doing any railway building only just starting to return I know very well that at times triumphs are measured with small steps.

[nick_bastable]

1 hour ago, Edwardian said:

 

Fair, though my mistake is in imagining that I could be competent in any of them.  Before kind parishioners pray in aid my cardboard fumblings, the layout is supposed to be a model railway.  Anything concerning the railway aspect of a model railway seems entirely beyond me!  Ho hum.

please anticipate your expectations for success  however modest and know you can and will do it just like a certain engine

 

Nick B 

[Edwardian]

The good news is that, if I want the NG test track to represent a "mainline" NG line (e.g. Lynton & Barnstaple or Leek & Manifold (with more coaches!)), I can just fit a decent sized engine and five bogie coaches.

 

It is important that the NG line can run a variety of stock, so that's a reasonable upper limit.

 

 

Let's hope it will work when it's done.

 

 

 

  

[Nearholmer]

Smart train. Are the carriages cut-down ratio, or something else? Just that I don’t instantly recognise them as 2ft gauge prototypes.

[Compound2632]

23 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

Smart train. Are the carriages cut-down ratio, or something else? Just that I don’t instantly recognise them as 2ft gauge prototypes.

 

I've been doing too much carriage spotting lately, so here goes: That is a very smart train and a highly probable formation BT/T/F/T/BT, seating 24 first (or possibly only 16 - 3 or 2 a side?) and 136 third (assuming 4 a side and no second class - but the far end of the train might be second - BT/T/F/S/BS - seating 64 second and 72 third. The sides are shortened from Ratio Midland Bain suburbans - I think one of each of the four types has gone into the mix, since the two brakes there are different. Each carriage is coming out at about 30 ft long, so they're presumably on bogie underframes from something else - a Dundas wagon kit? I think the stepboards, ends, and roofs are home-made, though the lamp tops and ventilators look to be from the Ratio kits. The Bain suburbans are 8'6" wide; I think these must be closer to 6'0". Compare the Lynton & Barnstaple carriages, 35'2" long over end panels, 6'0" wide over side panels, floor 2'0" above rail level, 7'9" or so rail level to eaves - but flat-sided. The tumblehome gives these a slightly more antique - or perhaps Irish or Isle of Man - air than the L&B's 1898 carriages. Remember also that this is a 2'3" gauge line, not 1'11½". 

 

I find myself wondering if the unused Ratio underframes and bogies are lurking at the back of the works...

Edited January 3, 2021 by Compound2632

[Nearholmer]

19 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

The tumblehome gives these a slightly more antique - or perhaps Irish or Isle of Man - air

Yes, I did wonder if they might be IoM.

[Donw]

They do look similar in style to my 16mm IOM coaches from Accucraft. These came helpfully with two sets of wheels for either 32mm or 45mm gauge.

 

If anyone wants a suggestion for wiring a layout send me a track plan with the type of turnouts and the intended control (DC or DCC)  and I will offer my suggestion. 

Don

[RedGemAlchemist]

21 hours ago, Edwardian said:

The good news is that, if I want the NG test track to represent a "mainline" NG line (e.g. Lynton & Barnstaple or Leek & Manifold (with more coaches!)), I can just fit a decent sized engine and five bogie coaches.

 

It is important that the NG line can run a variety of stock, so that's a reasonable upper limit.

 

 

Let's hope it will work when it's done.

 

 

 

  

Been a while since I've been on this thread and - oh wow. Things have really come along a LOT since I last was. Very nice work indeed James.

[Edwardian]

In addition to my lack of skill and aptitude, one thing that does not help is the rate at which my once 20:20 vision has gone down hill. Threading a needle is now impossible and fitting fishplates is like threading needles!

 

So, believe it or not, as we are in Tier 4 and in lock-down in all but name, today, to test my eyes I'm going to drive to Barnard Castle

 

[Regularity]

25 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

In addition to my lack of skill and aptitude, one thing that does not help is the rate at which my once 20:20 vision has gone down hill. Threading a needle is now impossible and fitting fishplates is like threading needles!

 

So, believe it or not, as we are in Tier 4 and in lock-down in all but name, today, to test my eyes I'm going to drive to Barnard Castle

 

Only works for 2020, as opposed to 20:20, vision...

[RedGemAlchemist]

32 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

In addition to my lack of skill and aptitude, one thing that does not help is the rate at which my once 20:20 vision has gone down hill. Threading a needle is now impossible and fitting fishplates is like threading needles!

 

So, believe it or not, as we are in Tier 4 and in lock-down in all but name, today, to test my eyes I'm going to drive to Barnard Castle

 

Mate, don't fret about it. My eyesight is appalling, but I can still do my modelling. Don't sell yourself short.