Nearholmer Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 Hello, New thread, to record the rolling stock of my, currently moribund, garden railway. The fiction is ever-evolving, but the core of it is a set of sprawling, straggling and struggling narrow gauge tramways, with a history that is linked both to the never-completed Newport Pagnell to Olney roadside steam tramway (that bit is true) and various schemes to extract coprolites in the Brickhill area (there's a bit of truth in there too). The Beds & Bucks Soil Amendment Company was the shadowy conglomerate behind these schemes, with ideas of turning the countryside roundabout into a second garden of England, by use of various forms of soil improver. In the main, B&BSACo actually functioned as a means of taking money from gullible shareholders, and turning it into champagne, oysters and visits to the Folie Bergere for the promoters. The tramways are assumed to have had two existences, with a period of abandonment between: c1880-1926, as public carriers, using steam traction; and, c1946-65, as purely industrial concerns, using diesel traction. Some parts of the routes were used during both periods; others were unique to one period or the other. For various reasons, the tramways are currently not in use, and the rolling stock for both periods is in store. First picture is one of a post-1946 train, composed of German heeresfeldbahn material, of which the BBSACo. acquired a large quantity at the end of WW2, when the cargo of a captured freighter was auctioned-off on the dockside at Hull. See here for details of the "light field railway wagon" design that was used in the early part of WW2 by HFB, and which LGB reproduced in model form. http://www.hfwagen.de Kevin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southwold Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 The link doesn't work I'm afraid Kevin. Sounds an interesting story though. Ken Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted May 4, 2016 Author Share Posted May 4, 2016 Ken Thanks. I can't get the link to route correctly to the page concerned, although it does now link to the site. Anyway, here are basic drawings of the wagons. As with quite a few LGB things, their models are "nearly, but not quite". The same applies with the loco, which is very clearly a Deutz OMZ117f, but is too fat! The fiction of ex German army material coming to the UK is not entirely incredible, in that there were (two I think) O&K diesels on one of the Purbeck clay railways, which reputedly came from Peenemunde rocket station, via Longmoor. Kevin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted May 4, 2016 Author Share Posted May 4, 2016 From the earlier era of operation, an Irish-inspired passenger brake van. This one is all wood, 3mm ply over an unnecessarily substantial inner "lump", made from bits of an old hardwood drawer. The paint finish isn't brilliant, but it took an absolute age, with multiple coats and rubbing-down, to loose the grain. And, a West Clare inspired van, again made round a core of bits of old drawer. K Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwardian Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 In the main, B&BSACo actually functioned as a means of taking money from gullible shareholders, and turning it into champagne, oysters and visits to the Folie Bergere for the promoters. Sir Philip Green was its chairman then? Lovely set up. I look forward to more, particularly of the earlier period. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted July 25, 2016 Author Share Posted July 25, 2016 Well, Edwardian, I actually got around to a bit of gardening last weekend, so the basic circuit of track is now clear of overgrowth. The loop and sidings had become so undermined by ballast damage that I have lifted them, and stored them for future reinstatement. I got everything together ready to steam-up, and run an early-period train, but then got distracted. Perchance it is not dead, but having a bit of a lie-in. Did manage to find a picture of a 'modern' ballast train, taken two summers ago, though. The loco is a very hefty job, made of 1/16th steel plate by a guy in the local 16mm group, which I then detailed, painted and generally abused,mot make it look industrial. Wagons are repainted LGB. Kevin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick_Burman Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 The same applies with the loco, which is very clearly a Deutz OMZ117f, but is too fat! Kevin Kevin, Deutz OMZ117f locos build for wider gauges (900 and 1000mm) were fatter than their 600/750mm gauge counterparts - to wit this loco on the Selfkantbahn in Germany: LGB wasn't all that far off... Cheers NB Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted July 25, 2016 Author Share Posted July 25, 2016 Nick Many thanks. I'd not seen a fat one. The 3ft gauge ones in Ireland (model designation KS28B, but the same in most respects), look to me as slim as the 600mm ones. Kevin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Northroader Posted August 10, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 10, 2016 Sorry to sound dull, there's two scales mentioned in the title tabs, but no gauge??? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted August 10, 2016 Author Share Posted August 10, 2016 45mm. K Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted August 12, 2016 Author Share Posted August 12, 2016 [Edit: after I wrote all that follows, it suddenly struck me that I'd probably taken you far too seriously. But, hey, ho.] Well, the KS28B are pretty light, but that is more a function of the fact that they were designed to get a particular tractive effort out, through the gearbox and onto the rails. They were bought to haul trains of temporary track panels, fuel wagons etc, rather than peat. The "main haul" locos bought at the same time were the 'Wagonmasters', which are a great deal heavier, but ran over exactly the same track. http://www.irsociety.co.uk/Archives/22/Wagonmaster.htm (that short articles has good illustrations, but contains errors of fact, the most glaring being that the locos were designed not to exceed 5 tons axle-weight, so they do not weigh 72 tons! If they did,they would sink.) A quirk is that both classes have coupling rods, not chain drive, because Bord na Mona had the facilities to make coupling rods, but not to make roller chains, and wanted locos for which every part could be made or repaired locally. The Wagonmasters have Ford (Cork) engines and primary gearboxes for the same reason. I have a model Wagonmaster tucked-away, which I will try to dig out and photograph. Kevin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hando Posted November 12, 2016 Share Posted November 12, 2016 Will you buy (/and bash) a steam loco? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted November 12, 2016 Author Share Posted November 12, 2016 If you are asking whether the B&BSACo has any steam locos, the answer is yes, two. It has had various ones iin the past, but the fleet was thinned to fund 0 gauge interests. K Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hando Posted November 20, 2016 Share Posted November 20, 2016 Brilliant! Are they british outline or German LGB? Sorry for not responding earlier! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted November 20, 2016 Author Share Posted November 20, 2016 Both live steam, both U.K. built, but one is based on a German prototype that ran in the U.K., so I've got both bases covered. If I get time on a sunny day, I will have a winter steam-up one day, and post photos, but I always seem to be busy. Kevin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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