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Deliberately Old-Fashioned 0 Scale - Chapter 1


Nearholmer
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The topic of points and check-rail clearances comes-up periodically, and always gets round to ‘universal’ points, so I’m posting this article for reference. Next time you look at the Madder Valley, look at the points; at least some of them follow this recipe.

 

I’ve included the picture of City of Truro because I’m intrigued by the caption. Does anyone know more?

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My own question answered by Wikipedia:

 

“During World War 2 York was considered to be a likely bombing target so the locomotive was evacuated to the small engine shed at Sprouston station (near Kelso) on the Tweedmouth to St Boswells line in the Scottish Borders.”

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This takes a bit of explaining!

 

It starts with: “They are very pretty coaches.”. After that it’s all a bit of a blur, except to say that I am mildly addicted to Hornby No.2 tanks and their Ace descendants. The GWR did own two parallel-boiler 4-4-4T, ex-MSWJR, but they didn’t look much like this, and were rebuilt with tapered boilers so soon after grouping that I wonder whether they ever carried GWR livery, and as for running with clerestory six-wheelers .....

 

But, it is a very pretty train.

 

The Hornby one has a nicer colour, but needs much work to both body and mechanism, so breaks the ‘dont Buy projects’ rule, as well as the ‘no great western’ rule!

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Edited by Nearholmer
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The real trouble I find is that any minor straying from whatever path I've decided I'm supposed to be on can become an extended ramble. Ace six-wheelers, and Hornby/Ace tank engines of this kind, being cases in point ...... each threatens to become a "theme" in itself.

 

Bad combination of lack of self-control, and a nerdish tendency to delight in 'variations on a theme' ....... psychologists would probably conclude that I'm not really safe out on my own.

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The real trouble I find is that any minor straying from whatever path I've decided I'm supposed to be on can become an extended ramble. Ace six-wheelers, and Hornby/Ace tank engines of this kind, being cases in point ...... each threatens to become a "theme" in itself.

 

Bad combination of lack of self-control, and a nerdish tendency to delight in 'variations on a theme' ....... psychologists would probably conclude that I'm not really safe out on my own.

 

The Memsahib used to ask "surely you have enough locomotives?"

 

This was before she adopted the coping mechanism of simply disdaining to notice that trains exist.

 

 

In response to your first paragraph Kevin, your point is? And your second statement just confirms you really are a collector. Best wishes and deepest sympathy from a fellow sufferer.

 

On the plus side, I've sold my house at last, so feel free to put interest rates up again. 

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On the plus side, I've sold my house at last, so feel free to put interest rates up again.

 

Edwardian, you are confusing me with the Governor of the Bank of England, I'm resting with my feet up, enjoying my golden handshake from Network Rail!

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The real trouble I find is that any minor straying from whatever path I've decided I'm supposed to be on can become an extended ramble. Ace six-wheelers, and Hornby/Ace tank engines of this kind, being cases in point ...... each threatens to become a "theme" in itself.

 

Bad combination of lack of self-control, and a nerdish tendency to delight in 'variations on a theme' ....... psychologists would probably conclude that I'm not really safe out on my own.

 

In early November I (rashly) told the other half that I was going to stop buying trains. This past week my christmas-day-afternoon-inebriated-seemed-like-a-good-idea-at-the-time ebay purchases have been arriving leading to archly raised eyebrows and the-contents-of-those-packages-is-what-exactly? interrogations....

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I had to look-up ‘Earl of Cawdor’ ....... what an odd loco. It looks as if the GWR subcontracted the design to the GER.

 

As to 4-4-4T, they might have been a bit unusual in reality, but they are the perfect design in clockwork, having a short fixed wheelbase, ideal for 2ft radius curves, the same overhang at each end, and perfectly reversible without need for a turntable. The criticism always levelled at the real thing is that it wastes potential adhesive weight, but nobody seems to say the same about 4-4-0 tender engines, which are the same thing only longer.

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In early November I (rashly) told the other half that I was going to stop buying trains. This past week my christmas-day-afternoon-inebriated-seemed-like-a-good-idea-at-the-time ebay purchases have been arriving leading to archly raised eyebrows and the-contents-of-those-packages-is-what-exactly? interrogations....

 

A familiar feeling. In the past not all parcels have arrived while the Mem was at the stables.

 

I've cracked it now, however, she's got a full time job that takes her out of the house during the daily parcel delivery window; Mwhahahahahahah!!!!!!

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The real trouble I find is that any minor straying from whatever path I've decided I'm supposed to be on can become an extended ramble. Ace six-wheelers, and Hornby/Ace tank engines of this kind, being cases in point ...... each threatens to become a "theme" in itself.

 

Bad combination of lack of self-control, and a nerdish tendency to delight in 'variations on a theme' ....... psychologists would probably conclude that I'm not really safe out on my own.

 

On my conversion to tinplate, I resolved never to stray from Hornby LMS locos as they always seemed to be cheaper than the other railways.  Kept  this thought for years until my train account had reached a princely sum and I had all the LMS I needed.  So coming from Gods own country, I decided it was time to return and go GW.  A County followed by a Castle and a 0-4-0 tank with a rake of carriages soon satisfied that urge so now I'm back to square one! 

 

Brian

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The Earl of Cawdor has more in common with the NER than the GER, the R1 in particular:

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James, none of my business, but if the light of your life is fond of horses, surely one or two teeny weeny little models is nothing to get a guilt trip over?

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The Earl of Cawdor has more in common with the NER than the GER, the R1 in particular:

attachicon.gif282FCBFE-A569-4123-BC3C-48D20891A459.jpeg

James, none of my business, but if the light of your life is fond of horses, surely one or two teeny weeny little models is nothing to get a guilt trip over?

 

Yes, but in the Memsahib's World View, horses are Worthwhile.

 

Trains, on the other hand ....

 

Still, horse shopping is on the event horizon.  The current Nag is getting on in years and my 6'1" 14-year-old (child, not horse) is too big to ride her. 

 

That should buy me some slack. Fortunately, the Rails/Dapol Terriers, the OO Works J15 and the 3D-printed SE&CR 4-4-0s from Turbo-Snail will all become available post my house sale!  

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A familiar feeling. In the past not all parcels have arrived while the Mem was at the stables.

 

I've cracked it now, however, she's got a full time job that takes her out of the house during the daily parcel delivery window; Mwhahahahahahah!!!!!!

Where 's the "Lucky So-&-So" button..?? :rolleyes:

 

I have a feeling I'm going to cop it when a certain Little Loco Co Class 22 gets delivered - unless I'm extremely lucky and can pick it up in person from a Show. But then I've still got the problem of sneaking it in the house. :scared:

Sometimes, just sometimes, I envy the N Scale guys... :(

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So what's the back story you're going to invent to justify these impulse purchases? Western locos used to appear at Redhill through to the 1960s, and I understand that at one stage, not that it's Southern, that the GWR ran through trains, including their own loco, through to Leicester, so it seems to offer some hope for a through service to the central section of the Southern Railway.

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Well ...... near-complete-impausibility is something I try to aim for, so maybe the GWR operates some suburban services into Paltry Circus by way of the oft-planned, but never built, railway that was intended to take over the course of the Regent's Canal ( see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regent%27s_Canal#Railway_projects),and the Lea-Bridge to Paltry line, which, as we all know, is how trains from the GER and Midland (using the Tottenham & Hampstead Joint) get there.

Another thing swilling about in my mind is a "fold in the map" railway called the South Western & Midland Junction, rambling across Hardy Country in the manner of the M&SWJR, thereby contacting the SR, GWR and LMS.

That in turn brings me to my "new year job list":

- finish the condensed milk vans (mini-Siphons);

- get round to creating a station building for Birlstone;

- restore the GWR No.2 tank, probably by fitting an ETS mechanism (the clockwork is tired-out and has one wheel on the brink of cracking) and remaking the horrible repairs to the body that were committed by a previous owner; and,

- possibly convert the LMS No.2 tank and tender engines to electric. The tender engine has worn-out clockwork, very tatty paint, and a repro tender with the wrong number, so it will be no sin to strip everything back and start again, but the tank engine is almost too good to mess with. I have already restored the mechanism, and it runs well and strongly, and the body is tired, but not terrible.

My thinking is that these two LMS locos could easily become property of of the SW&MJR ............

 

- finish putting the Bing KGV back together. I sorted out the mech for this ages ago, and found a good body to replace the one that I spent b ages knocking dents out of, and all it really needs now is an afternoon of 'playing meccano' and a polish

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Edited by Nearholmer
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