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Deliberately Old-Fashioned 0 Scale - Chapter 1


Nearholmer
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4 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

An appeal for drawings ......

 

Does any reader here present have drawings, or know where they can be found, for the following GWR classes?

 

1) First batch of GWR Birdcage Tanks, with parallel boiler and Belpaire firebox, as per photos in this collection https://spellerweb.net/rhindex/UKRH/GreatWestern/Narrowgauge/Dean36xxClass.html I think that 3611 was the prototype, and slightly shorter than the first production batch; and,

There was an article on building a Birdcage in the Modeller a long time ago, which I think also had a drawing. I'll check my index at the weekend if I remember.

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Brian

 

another useful option, in case you haven’t already found it, is to choose “content I posted in” under the “activity” options. 

 

That gives you only those threads that you’ve contributed to, rather than the full avalanche.

 

kevin 

 

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1 hour ago, Nearholmer said:

Brian

 

another useful option, in case you haven’t already found it, is to choose “content I posted in” under the “activity” options. 

 

That gives you only those threads that you’ve contributed to, rather than the full avalanche.

 

kevin 

 

And whilst you’re playing with the facilities on this web, don’t forget to “wallpaper” your profile heading.

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K14

 

Many thanks; a really useful drawing of a really useful engine!

 

Odd that CJF missed-off one of the most distinctive features, the porthole windows above the firebox crown. I've read in another thread that the cab design was altered more than once, so I wonder if this drawing represents a slightly different condition from the one I'm focusing on. the cab-side opening looks slightly different, and I think the roof may be slightly lower, too. The original cabs were very tall.

 

Kevin

Edited by Nearholmer
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1 hour ago, K14 said:

 

That drawing by CJF first appeared in the November 1967 issue of Railway Modeller as part of a one page article "Locomotives of the G. W. R. - Suburban Oddities". The other oddity was the 39xx 2-6-2Ts rebuilt by Churchward from Dean Goods 0-6-0s. The article has quite a lot of history regarding the two classes  - both of which were all gone for razor blades by the end of November 1934.

 

By the way the 36xx class ".. stemmed from the experimental locomotive No.11". It seems that No.11 was renumbered 3600 in 1912 - the rest of the class (including 3611) having started with 3601 and 3602 in 1902. So while No.11 had a short (3ft 6in) rear overhang, 3611 like all the rest had a 4ft overhang.

 

I know this as I have the relevant sheet in front of me as I tripe this - the rest of the mag went for recycling years ago! I will bring the mag with me when I come round tomorrow morning.

 

Regards

Chris H

 

P.S. - I think No.11 was different in having outside frames for the leading and trailing axles - but I need to find a picture to confirm this??

 

CH

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1 hour ago, Metropolitan H said:

 

I think No.11 was different in having outside frames for the leading and trailing axles - but I need to find a picture to confirm this??

 

 

No, I'm pretty sure it didn't. Are you thinking of the Metro Tank (no. 3573 if memory serves) that was converted to a 242T? That had outside frames to the leading axle at least.

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Melmoth,

 

Thanks for the correction. I was indeed thinking of the converted Metro tank - actually 3593 according to the picture caption in Paul Karau's book on "The Henley on Thames Branch".

 

My education continues.

 

Regards

 

Chris H

 

Edited by Chris H having looked more closely at "The Henley on Thames Branch" CH

Edited by Metropolitan H
Reference checked.
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Having read a bit more of "The Henley on Thames Branch" book, it seems that 3611 was one of the locos that worked on the Henley Branch - so perhaps was seen by Greenley in that locale - perhaps when he was visiting to copy the water tower as a tinplate model???

 

Regards

Chris H

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In one of the ancient magazines, Greenly talks about spotting the water tower at Henley during a family outing, and gives photos of it, so maybe 3611 pulled their train on that fateful day. He must have designed/specified both models within a short space of time, given when they were introduced, so it all fits!

 

 

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Possibly the first time a foreign dignitary has visited Birlstone.

 

Today Met H arrived clutching the CJF drawing of the Birdcage, and this rare wonder of early 1950s Swiss model train engineering. It is a HAG model of a first-generation Re 4/4, and I’ll leave it to Chris to tell more.

 

It did demolish my signals with its pantographs though!

9AB726D3-FD48-4693-9D5F-E992820D5E96.jpeg

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I apologise for finding your last post funny Kevin, but the image of Hag loco whizzing round your layout, collecting signals en route, is something I can relate to, having had the same experience several times over the years. Sometimes I'm the one with the offending loco, sometimes friends get me back.

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On 07/02/2019 at 20:00, Nearholmer said:

Possibly the first time a foreign dignitary has visited Birlstone.

 

Today Met H arrived clutching the CJF drawing of the Birdcage, and this rare wonder of early 1950s Swiss model train engineering. It is a HAG model of a first-generation Re 4/4, and I’ll leave it to Chris to tell more.

 

It did demolish my signals with its pantographs though!

9AB726D3-FD48-4693-9D5F-E992820D5E96.jpeg

 

 

It was only one signal that got felled - twice, good job it wasn't screwed down. The more important infringement was the tunnel under "The Great Fire of London" (Pudding Lane ?? - Now there is a good station name)where the loco didn't quite bring the roof down - but it was close.

 

At least this experience has reminded me to make sur bridges and tunnels have adequate headroom.

 

Regards

Chris H

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I've been thinking about the setting for the exceedingly small terminus again......

 

It started off as Lamberley, deep in the lush countryside of West Sussex, then drifted to the seaside, as a pier layout, which is always a good excuse for crampedness, but neither of those really justifies an intensive service, and I'm happier with urban ideas, so now I'm considering ........

 

A pier, but an urban pier, somewhere on the banks of the Thames, providing a link to a ferry. It now becomes the top of a viaduct, with imaginary stairs going down to an imaginary pontoon landing stage, where it is always windy, and the water always scudding and steel-grey. Cold Harbour is the name of such a place on the Isle of Dogs, and sounds suitable. Read all about it https://islandhistory.wordpress.com/2017/10/16/you-say-coldharbour-i-say-cold-harbour/

 

The Millwall Extension Railway and its terminus at North Greenwich give perfect justification for a single-track line, and it feels right to have trains running from Paltry Circus to Cold Harbour, via a circuitous route through some of London's grimmest and grimiest places. 

 

Thoughts?

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The best place for having thoughts on this, I would suggest, is if you get yourself down to Wapping,  order a pint and a meal in the “Prospect of Whitby” and retire upstairs to the seats by the bay window. There you can take in the broad sweep of the river on down past Limehouse, and visualise a small pier squeezed in between the old warehouses, sticking out past the lighters, with a ferry over to wherever on the other side (The North bank is much more interesting than the south these days)

6D40375D-BCAA-4254-A360-3B3E43EE6FE5.jpeg.2079731c3992be43f6eed82de01edec1.jpeg

Edited by Northroader
Still, I must be open minded, and see what the “Gun” has to offer.
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4 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

I've been thinking about the setting for the exceedingly small terminus again......

 

It started off as Lamberley, deep in the lush countryside of West Sussex, then drifted to the seaside, as a pier layout, which is always a good excuse for crampedness, but neither of those really justifies an intensive service, and I'm happier with urban ideas, so now I'm considering ........

 

A pier, but an urban pier, somewhere on the banks of the Thames, providing a link to a ferry. It now becomes the top of a viaduct, with imaginary stairs going down to an imaginary pontoon landing stage, where it is always windy, and the water always scudding and steel-grey. Cold Harbour is the name of such a place on the Isle of Dogs, and sounds suitable. Read all about it https://islandhistory.wordpress.com/2017/10/16/you-say-coldharbour-i-say-cold-harbour/

 

The Millwall Extension Railway and its terminus at North Greenwich give perfect justification for a single-track line, and it feels right to have trains running from Paltry Circus to Cold Harbour, via a circuitous route through some of London's grimmest and grimiest places. 

 

Thoughts?

 

I had just such an idea for 4mm and evolved it into a plan for the Cameo competition.  At the time I could afford neither the time nor the outlay, but I collected many pictures that might be of help. 

 

The Blackwall line was elevated and I though about making it hearer to the foreshore, just one street behind in fact.  The line's stations, masked by taller buildings in front, could make good 'Bitsa' stations.

 

There could be a low level dockside line, shunted by a 'coffee pot', with a siding running onto a wooden pier.  On the elevated line trains of 4-wheelers would rumble past behind those beautifully ugly black Massey Bromley tanks of the '80s.

 

Just a thought.

 

 

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Things rapidly get quite big in 0 scale, of course, and the whole point of this is supposed to be super-portability, to allow it to be taken to gatherings, and to have dimensions that match the study bookshelves, so ambitions have to be strictly limited.

 

I"m envisaging simply hemming the boards with parapet walls initially, not even making the supporting arches of the viaduct (although see further below), and using the back-scene to do a lot of the work, by having it show the upper storeys of warehouses, a pub etc. Getting "off-stage" is more difficult with a viaduct scene than with a cutting, but I think that can be resolved by having a foreground warehouse with wagon-entry to an upper storey.

 

If built in full, the supporting arches would amount to two 44" x 16" x 12" boxes, which would be no small storage and transport challenge, so one possibility might be to make "scenic flats", which dangle below the layout ........ imagine the layout's front edge aligned with the edge of a typical village hall table, which is what we get to use at gatherings, with the "flats" dangling down. The "flat" could have the viaduct face, with arches occupied by the usual selection of businesses, and enough pavement/road to allow a few pedestrians, handcart pushers, and cyclists, maybe only 2" wide. Or, if that looks too vulnerable, stand the layout on the plastic stacker-crates that are used to carry rolling stock, applying "flats" to hide the boxes. A really mad idea would be to paint the arches on roller-blind material, then roll them up and put them in my pocket for transport.

 

As soon as circumstances permit, I will take Northroader's suggestion, and go and sit in a pub, looking at the river, and think further!

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Rather than just sit in the "Prospect of Whitby", why not go to West Ferry on the DLR then walk along Narrow Street to "The Grapes" for a sharpener before continuing east to the "Prospect" for a top-up. Suitably refreshed one can continue your musings along Wapping High Street to the "Captain Kidd" for the next watering stop - prior to a quick visit to the "Thames River Police Museum" on the way to "The Town of Ramsgate" for a dessert course, before the final stroll on to Alderman Stairs and finish at St. Katharine's Dock.

 

There have been a lot of changes since I last did a version of this walk about 20+ years ago and even more since a first foray to the area about 45 - 50 years ago - when it was very atmospheric and a bit dodgy.

 

Regards

Chris H

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I'm not so old as to need to slow down with the walking, but the sherbet-sinking has been beyond my capacity for a good long while now.

 

If I was in a position to, I'd propose a team rendezvous and exploration of the area, but such excitements have to wait for now.

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OK, so my good lady has gone to a long hospital appointment, and accidentally locked me out of the house, in the layout/utility room, where I was loading the tumble-drier.

 

This is is not all bad, because I’ve been cogitating on the topic of the track layout at Birlstone, which, because of its history, is rather annoying, in that every run-around or shunt obstructs the main-line.

 

Proposed alteration sketched on a bit of old cardboard. It reduces the length of train that can be run-around, but not hugely.

 

i think I will do it.

1CFE35EA-C513-496B-82CA-F92ABB5B5365.jpeg

 

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