Castle Aching

[Donw]

4 hours ago, Annie said:

I agree.  I can't manage to use one for toffee and my own personal notebook always ends up with a keyboard and a mouse plugged into it so I can actually end up with the webpages I want.

 

I got extrememly fed up with a touch screen on a smart phone (Sony Aqua I think) which ignore the things I wanted it to do and did things I didn't want. I put the simm into a iphone (cheap second hand iphone6) which seems much happier to do what I want. The old one got conveted to a bluetooth DCC control system which does work provided you don't mind the fact that the phone ignores you half the time, which is not exactly ideal for DCC.

 

1189     true quite a bit pre Nov 89 has been forgotten by me although the 50s and 60s seem rather clearer. Or is it simply I cannot remember enough of the 50s and 60s to know what I have forgot.

 

Don

[Edwardian]

So, we begin in earnest a programme of coach construction for the line.  We start with the so-called New Stock with which the WNR started to replace its original 1850s coaching stock from 1872.

 

To quote from the carriage history given in the first post of this topic:

 

These new coaches, known as “New Stock” by the West Norfolk, apparently regardless of how aged they became, were initially supplied by the Metropolitan Coach & Wagon Works. Noting the similarity with coaches supplied by the Metropolitan to other railway companies, G R Tweddle, the West Norfolk's leading rolling stock historian, surmises that they were built to the Metropolitan’s own designs.  The Metropolitan certainly supplied similar coaches to other railways, including an 1871 composite and the 1872-3 block sets to the LSWR. 

The opening of carriage shops at Aching Constable in 1874, however, meant that, by and large, the WN would build its own coaches from then on, and they seem to have followed the Metropolitan’s designs to build more New Stock. 

New Stock was characterised by the vertical panels above the waist and quarter lights with square lower corners and large, or triple, radius tops.  Door lights, however, were square in all 4 corners and door vents were rectangular. In these latter details they provided a contrast with contemporary GER stock, where the door lights also had curved tops, whereas the GER door vents of the day had curved ends and were of a particularly bulbous type.  The waist was marked with rectangular beading, typical of the period.  

 

Over the years the New Stock was upgraded, including the provision of continuous upper foot boards, vents to the Third Class compartment doors, gas lighting and, of course, continuous vacuum braking.

 

Now I must stress that this is an only an early test print, and there is still much detail for the designer to add, but, it has turned out reasonably well, so I'm hopeful that we will soon start to produce a fleet of WNR coaches. 

 

 

 

[Compound2632]

When did the New Stock get gas lighting? (Noting that this test print is an oil-lit vehicle.)

[Edwardian]

2 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

When did the New Stock get gas lighting? (Noting that this test print is an oil-lit vehicle.)

 

Well spotted.  The designer has used the drawing of the original LSWR roof.  I may well have some LSWR versions done with both gas and oil; and I've a feeling that the 1871 composites that went to the Isle of Wight Central Railway around the turn of the Century (and ran behind the first (red) Island Terriers) retained oil lighting. 

 

On the WNR, those few still running on the mainline would have been converted to gas, but I'm still in two minds whether the Achingham or Fakeney branch sets, which were made up from New Stock, were still oil lit in 1905.

 

What does the parish think? 

[Donw]

I think having some oil lit and some gas lit in different rakes of course would add interest. Part of the WNR ongoing modernisation scheme.

 

Don

 

ps the oil lit ones would be well weather with the gas lit ones showing a fairly new coat of paint.

Edited January 30, 2021 by Donw
adding post script

[Skinnylinny]

17 hours ago, Edwardian said:

Oh, I say, that's already looking gorgeous and puts my laser-cut one to shame! I'm not looking forward to trying to apply those roof slats and have been putting it off for quite a while. 

 

[Edwardian]

2 hours ago, Skinnylinny said:

Oh, I say, that's already looking gorgeous and puts my laser-cut one to shame! I'm not looking forward to trying to apply those roof slats and have been putting it off for quite a while. 

 

 

Thanks, Linny.  As I say, a lot of missing detail at present, but baby steps and so far, so good!

 

Yours is not put to shame by any means.   

 

One of the features that your model brings out, which I'm not sure I've managed to make sufficiently clear to the designer, is the change in depth immediately below the raised waist beading.  Without this feature - which is certainly there on the prototype just as you have captured it - differentiating between the colours for upper and lower sides would be very difficult indeed!

 

Looks like you have successfully printed a chassis for it?  The very nice buffer guides at any rate are not cardboard.

 

Well, I daresay I could have an extra roof printed if it helps.  At the moment, no timetable to sign-off even on the first coach, as we're rather feeling our way here, but if you can wait, I'm sure there will be a successful roof print on its way. 

 

For anyone with the Hornby Adams Radial, a set of the block-set coaches would be a great go-with, if we make it that far. 

 

EDIT: BTW, having just disassembled one, I can confirm that the coal rails, coal load and water tank filler all just pull out, so shortening and replacing the latter to achieve Adams condition should be a doddle. 

Edited January 31, 2021 by Edwardian

[Skinnylinny]

Do feel free to pass on that photo to your designer if it would be helpful. The chassis is again laser-cut from MDF (with holes left in footboards to allow for microstrip supports) and card, and the buffers are LBSCR Stroudley pattern ones from 5 and 9 models. I think somewhere I have an STL file for a similar design of buffer, if it would be helpful.  I'd be delighted by a spare roof, although gas-lit for me, please! 

[ChrisN]

3 hours ago, Skinnylinny said:

Do feel free to pass on that photo to your designer if it would be helpful. The chassis is again laser-cut from MDF (with holes left in footboards to allow for microstrip supports) and card, and the buffers are LBSCR Stroudley pattern ones from 5 and 9 models. I think somewhere I have an STL file for a similar design of buffer, if it would be helpful.  I'd be delighted by a spare roof, although gas-lit for me, please! 

 

I have to say I have one of Linney's Stroudleys and the chassis is very free running and easy to set up.

 

The trick with the rain strips is to use a spacer, I made mine from brass when I did my LBSCR Saloon.

Edited January 31, 2021 by ChrisN

[Compound2632]

Rather than start a new topic, I thought I'd put this here, building on an exchange with @Brassey on another thread. We pre-groupers like to imagine our smartly turned-out trains puffing along on a glorious Edwardian summer's afternoon, but is that prototypically correct?

 

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you:

 

PERIOD WEATHER.

 

Here, for starters: http://www.london-weather.eu/category.46.html.

[Hando]

1 minute ago, Compound2632 said:

Rather than start a new topic, I thought I'd put this here, building on an exchange with @Brassey on another thread. We pre-groupers like to imagine our smartly turned-out trains puffing along on a glorious Edwardian summer's afternoon, but is that prototypically correct?

 

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you:

 

PERIOD WEATHER.

 

Here, for starters: http://www.london-weather.eu/category.46.html.

...Finally

 

Now I can sodden (ruin?) my layout with accurate amounts of rainwater

[ChrisN]

I posted this on my topic, to my surprise two years ago, it is a link to daily Met Office readings.  Name your date, and find out what it was like.  If it has a 'u' it means it was Ugly!

[Hando]

Jokes aside, theoretically you could make a layout to feature working rainwater.

That is, if you used a water tank above with small enough holes to create fast-precipitating droplets during rainy intervals. to prevent damaging, you would have to use:

• Loose Ballast
• Plaster or Modelling clay coated structures
• Non-oxidising metal-built rolling stock and Radio Controlled Locomotives
• Organic scenery (actual soil and plants)

Underneath the soil, there would need to be a grating to allow water to seep through into a tank so as to prevent water damage to the baseboard. The actual grass growing on the layout would annoyingly need to be pruned almost daily (i.e. bonsai levels of care). Layout circuitry would need to be at a minimum (so no point motors) and where they do exist, they need to be waterproofed.

 

But other than that I do think it is possible, but I could be wrong.

Edited February 15, 2021 by Hando

[Tom Burnham]

Well, people have layouts in the garden (even in 4mm scale) so it's evidently possible.

[papagolfjuliet]

I recall years ago seeing a 009 layout which used live sphagnum moss to represent a moorland scene. It was on the exhibition circuit for a while and I'm sure it was featured in RM. Early 80s, I think.

[Nearholmer]

Yes, I think you're right, and that the owner used to mist it with water periodically - it might have been the same layout that used live-steam locos in 009 I think. Dim recollections from the very early days of Expong, when it was at Greenwich.

[Donw]

I have stood with others in pouring rain while we ran trains. The chap I was talking to said last time it was like this the water could be seen sloshing about inside up the coach windows. Fortunately live steam 0 gauge engines do not care if it rains.

 

Don

[Regularity]

2 hours ago, papagolfjuliet said:

I recall years ago seeing a 009 layout which used live sphagnum moss to represent a moorland scene. It was on the exhibition circuit for a while and I'm sure it was featured in RM. Early 80s, I think.

12mm gauge, 5.5mm scale, I believe, using the old GEM Models.

[Annie]

8 hours ago, ChrisN said:

I posted this on my topic, to my surprise two years ago, it is a link to daily Met Office readings.  Name your date, and find out what it was like.  If it has a 'u' it means it was Ugly!

Well my little railway empire seems to have been largely alright in June 1912.  Thanks for the link Chris.

[Hroth]

14 hours ago, ChrisN said:

I posted this on my topic, to my surprise two years ago, it is a link to daily Met Office readings.  Name your date, and find out what it was like.  If it has a 'u' it means it was Ugly!

 

The forecast for my birthday says that it would have been fine and rather warm, with little change in the next 24 hours. Not bad for May!

[Edwardian]

May 1905 for CA. The nearest I can get to Norfolk is Oxford!

 

According to the Met Office records:

 

Oxford
Location: 450900E 207200N, Lat 51.761 Lon -1.262, 63 metres amsl
Estimated data is marked with a * after the value.
Missing data (more than 2 days missing in month) is marked by  ---.
Sunshine data taken from an automatic Kipp & Zonen sensor marked with a #, otherwise sunshine data taken from a Campbell Stokes recorder.

   yyyy         mm       tmax       tmin         af          rain      sun
                                 degC        degC       days      mm      hours

1905             5          16.7          6.1           1          19.5     ---

 

Compare May 1905 with Other Edwardian Mays:

 

   yyyy         mm       tmax       tmin         af          rain      sun
                                 degC        degC       days      mm      hours

1901            5          17.4          6.2           1          31.8     ---

1902            5          13.8          5.4           1          38.6     ---

1903            5          16.2          7.2           0        111.0     ---

1904            5          15.6          7.4           0          81.7     ---

1905            5          16.7          6.1           1          19.5    ---

1906            5          15.5          7.2           0          45.0     ---

1907            5          15.9          7.3           0           59.6     ---

1908            5          17.6          9.0          0            37.2     ---

1909            5          17.3          5.4          0           48.1     ---

1910            5          16.5          7.3          1           52.6     ---

 

No great need to model a rainy day!

 

[CKPR]

Post-grouping I know...

Edited February 15, 2021 by CKPR

[Nearholmer]

47 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

No great need to model a rainy day!

 

You need to pick your month carefully though. I looked at weather data when I was makking-up stories about Mr O'Doolite, and the early part of June 1905 was very wet, with lots of thunderstorms.

[Edwardian]

14 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

 

You need to pick your month carefully though. I looked at weather data when I was makking-up stories about Mr O'Doolite, and the early part of June 1905 was very wet, with lots of thunderstorms.

 

Well, I just picked May so there could be blossom on the trees and verdant embankments!

[Edwardian]

44 minutes ago, CKPR said:

Post-grouping I know...

 

Excellent and so, so like ... here!