Deliberately Old-Fashioned 0 Scale - Chapter 1

[Nearholmer]

There were lots of BBs in the 1930s brochures, mostly wearing the sort of bathing costumes that sag terribly and flatter nobody once wet. Plus, a picture that I should have copied, captioned "hikers in the hills", but which actually showed a very louche chap in a pale linen suit and suspiciously smart town shoes, leaning on a signpost smoking, while a young woman in a summer dress lay at his feet looking-up adoringly.

 

My bet was that the MG was parked just out of shot, and that neither of them had hiked anywhere in their lives.

 

Such is advertising, and it was interesting to compare and contrast 1930s holiday brochures and guides with the modern equivalents. What is for sure is that (a) the GWR and SR were head-to-head in competition in Devon and Cornwall, but happily cooperating to run through trains to the Sussex and Dorset coasts, (b) both managed to pitch simultaneously to the EasyJet and British Airways Premier markets, and (c) everyone was trapped in a circle of mutual delusion where it came to the British weather.

[Donw]

Ah the horrors of home knitted software. We had a number of holidays in Exmouth and Westward Ho when I was a boy. Either my Dad was good at picking the dates for holidays or we had a run of good summers then. Mind you I think they were not in the school holidays June or early July. I can remember the radio being on for the cricket and there being talk of record temperatures which day did end in the Mother and Father of a Thunder storm (probably why I remember it). Certainly none of the holidays was a washout. At about 12 or 13 I was able on my own to take the ferry from Exmouth to Starcross then catch a train down to Kingswear to explore the station. Happy days.

Don

[Edwardian]

8 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

There were lots of BBs in the 1930s brochures, mostly wearing the sort of bathing costumes that sag terribly and flatter nobody once wet. Plus, a picture that I should have copied, captioned "hikers in the hills", but which actually showed a very louche chap in a pale linen suit and suspiciously smart town shoes, leaning on a signpost smoking, while a young woman in a summer dress lay at his feet looking-up adoringly.

 

My bet was that the MG was parked just out of shot, and that neither of them had hiked anywhere in their lives.

 

Such is advertising, and it was interesting to compare and contrast 1930s holiday brochures and guides with the modern equivalents. What is for sure is that (a) the GWR and SR were head-to-head in competition in Devon and Cornwall, but happily cooperating to run through trains to the Sussex and Dorset coasts, (b) both managed to pitch simultaneously to the EasyJet and British Airways Premier markets, and (c) everyone was trapped in a circle of mutual delusion where it came to the British weather.

 

Well, I can't offer Lesley Philips in an MG, but on hiking I can offer ....

 

.... a sentimental perspective from the Anchor Line

 

 

... whimsicality from the LNER ...

 

 

... and Strength Through Joy from the Southern!

 

[Northroader]

Thanks for the enjoyable outside broadcast, it looked a fun gathering, and summer holidays is always a good theme to have. I find it’s scary how fast the days race by at this time of year.

i was intrigued by the WJvintage announcement, (until I saw the price, that is) It struck me that you could knock 20 years off the date they were built and use them as a substitute for the good old Hornby 0-4-0T? Done out in the big four paint and lettering. The postwar LNER is there of course, but they could fit in well. If the chassis was available on its own it would be a good base for a lot of old continental locos.

im afraid Hilda doesn’t appear in knitted items, it makes her itchy, but here’s something terribly decadent for the BB theme.

Edited August 20, 2019 by Northroader

[Nearholmer]

Phew!

 

(I was seriously worried worried about the prospect of Hilda in a string vest)

[St Enodoc]

14 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

For the first time in ages, The Birlstone Broadcasting Corporation brings you an Outside Broadcast Report.

 

Northants and Rutland 0 Gaugers met today with the overlapping themes of “holidays” and “clockwork”.

 

One of our conveners got into the spirit ..... i’ll spare his blushes only slightly:

 

 

There was a model of what holidays will look like again post-B****t.

 

 

There were lots of 1930s holiday handbooks published by various of The Big Four, making roughly the same point:

 

 

There was a notice from W J Bassett-Lowke, a noted internationalist in outlook, who clearly sometimes felt the need to defend himself from accusations of collaborating with Europeans:

 

 

There were a lot of very posh long-distance holiday expresses, with big engines and fancy coaches on the electric tracks, but I spent most of my time with the naughty boys seeing how fast, and how far, we could get our wind-up engines to go:

 

 

 

There was an exciting forthcoming product announcement:

 

 

Have a sunny holiday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very nice Sam.

[St Enodoc]

13 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

 a very louche chap in a pale linen suit and suspiciously smart town shoes, leaning on a signpost smoking, while a young woman in a summer dress lay at his feet looking-up adoringly.

When I had an MG I tried very hard but that never happened to me.

[Simond]

I recall the adverts, “You can do it in an MG”, with pictures of the said couple and an MGB or MGBGT, in some lovely location.

 

i also recall the story of a couple who apparently tried to “do it” in an MG in a park in Liverpool, resulting in him dislocating his hip, and the fire brigade cutting the roof off the car in order to extricate him.  She, in tears, was comforted by one of the fire bobbies as the ambulance took him away, “Don’t worry luv, they’ll soon have him sorted”.  

 

To which she apparently replied, “S*d him, how do I tell my hubby about the MG?”

 

cheers

simon

[St Enodoc]

4 hours ago, Simond said:

I recall the adverts, “You can do it in an MG”, with pictures of the said couple and an MGB or MGBGT, in some lovely location.

 

i also recall the story of a couple who apparently tried to “do it” in an MG in a park in Liverpool, resulting in him dislocating his hip, and the fire brigade cutting the roof off the car in order to extricate him.  She, in tears, was comforted by one of the fire bobbies as the ambulance took him away, “Don’t worry luv, they’ll soon have him sorted”.  

 

To which she apparently replied, “S*d him, how do I tell my hubby about the MG?”

 

cheers

simon

A "proper" MG wouldn't need the fire brigade to cut the roof off!

[Nearholmer]

Not sure whether or not its oversexed, or overpaid, but its definitely over here!

 

Up to now, WW2 has bypassed Birlstone, but we now have a loco on its way to post-D-Day Europe, in the form of a GE 44 Ton Bo-Bo diesel-electric, about a hundred of which came via the UK. The prototypes are discussed in this thread https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/146832-ge-44-ton-switchers-in-europe/

 

 

Somewhat random addition to the fleet, but I've always liked these little beasts, and this MTH one was too much to resist.

 

Its a very good model, having a die cast metal structure with a lot of detail, but is a real challenge to drive, because, before it will go anywhere, you have to "start the engines", and let them run up to ticke-over speed, and if you turn the voltage back down to zero, not only does it gently coast to a halt, but the engines shut down ....... stop, with brake noises, with engines still running, is at about 4 volts. All done electronically, of course, and actually rather good fun!

 

it needs to be introduced to the Yankee Tank, and, perhaps carefully, the ex-Wehrmacht SNCF diesel.

 

(C, the postman arrived about ten minutes after you left)

Edited September 6, 2019 by Nearholmer

[Metropolitan H]

Well that is different! Does it come with side buffers and European couplers or do you have to contrive a conversion?

 

It is perhaps a good thing that I left just before the loco arrived - the local supermarket was very slow and tedious - L was worried I'd got struck down, or more severely led astray, by the time I got home.

 

Regards

Chris H

[Nearholmer]

Well, strictly, its the US domestic version, so a tall cab, knuckle couplers, and no side buffers, whereas the military version for Europe has a low cab, side buffers, and screw-link couplers, but I'm prepared to overlook these discrepancies (Oh, and its 1:48, rather than 1:43.5 scale. too).

 

The sound on it is volume adjustable (thankfully), and really rather good, with a nice little splutter as you notch-up.

 

I think of it as Great Western, in the sense that it originates somewhere to the west.

 

Need to devise a coupling adaptation or change that is reversible, because it has nifty little solenoids to work the knuckles, which I don't want to damage.

[GRASinBothell]

So that's what you meant in the cryptic post the other day!

I take it that you also have to remove your DC power and replace it with AC before starting up.

I believe that if you ask them nicely, ETS will supply their wagons with a drop-link on one end and a Lionel-type coupler on the other, thus allowing you to have it hauling a train without changing the couplings. Of course, you still would want to do something about side buffers.

Gordon

[Nearholmer]

Indeed.

 

It has very clever electronics, which detect and respond to AC, DC, DCC, or something called DCS, which I think must be their proprietary system. More bells and whistles, literally as well as figuratively, are available with DCC and DCS, but the only thing I crave is the ability to toot the horn, which tells you some of how childish I am.

 

The ETS wagon tip is a good one, assuming that the couplers it has are Lionel ones; they are significantly smaller than the Lionel ones I've seen, which are truly huge. A convertor wagon is possibly the best bet in the short term though, while I work out a better idea. What would be really good would be a three ended wagon, with a knuckle, a drop-link, and a Hornby, but I don't have ant three-ended wagons in stock.

[uax6]

Those three ended wagons are presumably a product of the Metropolitan Pyramid Co?

 

Andy g

[Nearholmer]

Designed by Mr O'Doolite, with construction contracted-out to a wagon-builder who somehow couldn't finish them in accordance with the (many) drawings provided.

Edited September 6, 2019 by Nearholmer

[friscopete]

In the 60's my friend had an MGA .We discovered you could could pull quite easily but getting any further required decamping .The same applied to another friend who had a Pontiac Firebird .A huge waste of space though quick in a straightline .Dont ask about brakes or corners.

[GRASinBothell]

You're right. TCS is the MTH proprietary system. Lionel has Legacy and TMCC.

I would be very surprised if it wouldn't couple with Lionel couplers. They are generally very much into standardization over here, and people run mixed rakes of wagons from various manufacturers. I doubt anyone would introduce couplings that don't mate with the millions of wagons already out there.

And even if it doesn't work out, you can always replace the Lionel coupler with a drop-link one, and the people of Birlstone will get to enjoy imported Champagne or beer or whatever goes in the ETS wagon you chose!

I've never had a problem coupling drop-links to Hornby, so you really only need the two ends...

Gordon

[St Enodoc]

5 hours ago, friscopete said:

In the 60's my friend had an MGA .We discovered you could could pull quite easily but getting any further required decamping .The same applied to another friend who had a Pontiac Firebird .A huge waste of space though quick in a straightline .Dont ask about brakes or corners.

One good feature of the Midget was that the handbrake lever was on the passenger's side of the transmission tunnel. Somehow, depending on who the passenger was, it was all to easy to reach across just a little too far when applying or releasing the brake...

[Donw]

I enjoy three links myself it gets you up close and persoanl with the trains and if you have ever driven a train on a UK steam railway it is all part of the job.

 

Don

[mervyn]

 Talking about getting up close and personal ,I used to hate using  screw / instanter couplings till I tried to couple two knuckle fitted steel wagons on a curve in the pouring rain ,soon started wishing for a set of instanters as the water cascaded down my neck ! 

[Nearholmer]

To be able to use three-link couplers safely on a coarse-scale layout, one really needs to have all the stock fitted with them, and all of the stock to be fitted with LMC-type wide buffers, otherwise propelling moves result in buffer-locking and pile-ups, even on quite wide-radius curves.

 

I know one person who runs an "all Leeds" layout, even his track is restored original Leeds, and he, of course, uses three-link, but the few three-link wagons that I have barely get used, because it isn't safe to mix them with Hornby and Bassett-Lowke couplers, whereas the latter two mix very successfully. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Donw]

I wasn't suggesting everyone should use them merely explaining my feelings. 

 

Don

[St Enodoc]

7 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

To be able to use three-link couplers safely on a coarse-scale layout, one really needs to have all the stock fitted with them, and all of the stock to be fitted with LMC-type wide buffers, otherwise propelling moves result in buffer-locking and pile-ups, even on quite wide-radius curves.

 

I know one person who runs an "all Leeds" layout, even his track is restored original Leeds, and he, of course, uses three-link, but the few three-link wagons that I have barely get used, because it isn't safe to mix them with Hornby and Bassett-Lowke couplers, whereas the latter two mix very successfully. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You could solder the links up solid, to make a single-link coupling as used by Exley (and possibly others, for all I know) many years ago.

[Annie]

I think the Leeds coupling is a good compromise in that it's of a size that doesn't intrude so much on the general appearance of a model and the single link prevents buffer locking.