Deliberately Old-Fashioned 0 Scale - Chapter 1

[GRASinBothell]

I also have one of those Ace/Horton gunpowder vans (as well as a couple of pre-grouping ones - North British & Caledonian). A Rectank (which no one makes, at least not in the tinplate world; there is probably a finescale etched kit available!) would be nice, but the WJ Vintage/Raylo bogie bolster at least allows for some suitable military loads.

What's the source of the Southern brake van? The South Western made some of their standard road vans for the WD during WW1, and I live in hope for one of those...

Gordon

[GRASinBothell]

On the modules I take to shows over here, the standard track positioning (to fit with other group modules) didn't leave room to fit a French Hornby Passage à Niveau (level crossing), so I have a small extension piece that I bolt on, thus providing the room.

You could do something similar. The baseboard would then be the size you want for storage, and would have a small overhang when in use...

Gordon

[Ben B]

15 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

 

 

 

 

First thing I wondered when I saw the gunpowder van, was if you'd extended your empire to the Cambrian Coast?  I always associate GPV's with the explosives traffic from Penrhyndeudraeth

[Nearholmer]

Likewise.

 

The tin gunpowder van is a beautiful piece of printing, but is actually too tall, being “standard size for modern tinplate vans”. Real GPVs are significantly lower than most vans.

 

The pillbox van is wood and wallpaper, using either LMC or Milbro wallpaper, I’m not sure which.

 

Ive got a kit for the LSWR road van waiting to be built.

Edited June 19, 2020 by Nearholmer

[Compound2632]

23 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

Real GPVs are significantly lower than most vans.

 

I suspect it's more the case that GPVs were much the same height as ordinary covered goods wagons when they were built - especially those based on the Great Western Iron Mink design - but being specialist vehicles survived much longer, into an age when covered goods wagons had grown taller.

[Nearholmer]

A gratuitous photo.

 

 

[F-UnitMad]

Nothing wrong with Gratuitous Photos of trains!!

 

I'm going to ask the Stupid Question re the GPV...

What did "Improvised" refer to?  

Was it an ordinary van, somehow modified to carry explosives, or was it the gunpowder itself that was improvised? Maybe that explains why the British Army fired so many dud shells during WW1..??

[Donw]

18 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

Back to the little rural thing for a moment: on 25 October 2018, I posted a set of possible track plans, and everyone voted in favour on Plan 3. So, I ignored that advice and fiddled around with a hundred other options, and used the baseboards to start the 00 1963 BLT.

 

Well, nearly two years later, I’ve decided to take the advice. That is the plan that will get screwed-down.

 

 

I ignored the advice because this plan doesn’t accommodate my old BL station, which is about 40mm too deep to fit, but I’ve decide that is a sacrifice that has to be made.

 

It does allow a loco to run round three six-wheelers, or two bogie coaches, or four wagons and a van.

 

 

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could go to the IoW and ride on this train?

 

 

 

 

I never got to ride in a train behind a terrier in the three years I lived there. We did get Colbourne back though

 

Apart from the change of loco not much difference.

You haven't moved the layout to the IOW have you?

 

Don

[GRASinBothell]

I believe the "Improvised" Gunpowder Vans were just standard iron minks converted for use as gunpowder vans. I don't know whether the "Improvised" implied some kind of limit on how much or what kinds of explosive could be loaded in them. Since the standard gunpowder design (even other companies' ones) was based on the GW iron mink, I can't imagine there could have been a lot of difference.

Gordon

[Metropolitan H]

20 minutes ago, F-UnitMad said:

Nothing wrong with Gratuitous Photos of trains!!

 

I'm going to ask the Stupid Question re the GPV...

What did "Improvised" refer to?  

Was it an ordinary van, somehow modified to carry explosives, or was it the gunpowder itself that was improvised? Maybe that explains why the British Army fired so many dud shells during WW1..??

Was it It was an ordinary van, somehow modified to carry explosives. I understand the modifications to be mainly fitting a timber floor and wall lining - using brass / bronze screws - and the provision of a pair of rubber wellington boots on a hook attached to the door lining - for use of who-ever went inside!

 

Hopefully someone who knows better will let us all know the real story.

 

Here is another "Gratuitous photo" - but there is a dubious linkage to this topic.

 

 

Regards

Chris H

[Nearholmer]

7 minutes ago, Metropolitan H said:

rubber wellington boots

 I thought they were thick felt over-boots, rather than wellies.

 

Your loco and van are highly relevant to the intended military variant of the rural essay, so are welcome.

[34006]

I also have seen a reference(and I think a picture somewhere) to felt boots.

 

Phil

[Ben B]

3 hours ago, Metropolitan H said:

Was it It was an ordinary van, somehow modified to carry explosives. I understand the modifications to be mainly fitting a timber floor and wall lining - using brass / bronze screws - and the provision of a pair of rubber wellington boots on a hook attached to the door lining - for use of who-ever went inside!

 

Hopefully someone who knows better will let us all know the real story.

 

Here is another "Gratuitous photo" - but there is a dubious linkage to this topic.

 

 

Regards

Chris H

 

Curse you!  I'm already fighting hard the urge to collect tinplate O thanks to this thread, and then another user goes and posts a pic of that lovely Austerity tank loco and pushes me further towards it...

[GRASinBothell]

I consulted the authority on Great Western wagons ("GWR Goods Wagons", by Atkins, Beard and Tourret), and the author noted there that he had no idea why they added "improvised", since there was no meaningful distinction between regular Gunpowder Vans (CONES in GWR parlance) and these conversions. There is an official photo of one marked for the GWR and one for the Southern, and he surmised that only the two in the official photos may have been so marked.

And for anyone fighting the urge to go tinplate, don't fight it - it is a splendid place to be...

Gordon

Edited June 19, 2020 by GRASinBothell
spelling

[uax6]

They were described on the LMS as 'Magazine Boots' what they actually are I have no Idea, but I was thinking something along the line of a wooden clog type overboot... But that is only a guess, and is probably wild of the mark!

 

Andy G

[Dave John]

Hmm, I think Magazine Boots were a heavy felt boot, Sort of like wellies but made of a heavy felt material. 

[Simond]

Spark proof 

 

‘tis the reason that malt shovels were made of wood.

 

 

atb

Simon

[Nearholmer]

In between domestic tasks, I've been sneaking the odd minute here and there to look in books an websites about the relationship between military railways and the LSWR/SR in Hampshire. I knew that I was on firm footing in assuming the rural essay to be some sort of LSWR(SR) /military hybrid, but I'd never totted-up quite how many instances there were to draw upon. There were oodles, spanning from the 1890s, through to the Marchwood Military Port and its railway, which is still in use now from what I can work out. "Everyone" has heard of Longmoor, but the rest are a good deal more obscure, possibly because may of them were very ephemeral.

 

In truth, this whole "Light Railway promoted and built at the behest of the WD by the LSWR" thing really deserves a lot more than a caricature on an ironing board, and would make a cracking "system layout" in fine-scale, either 4mm/ft or 7mm/ft. 

 

For one thing, its a golden excuse for a seriously untidy collection of locomotives and railcars, of all ages types and sizes!

 

 

[F-UnitMad]

39 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

In truth, this whole "Light Railway promoted and built at the behest of the WD by the LSWR" thing really deserves a lot more than a caricature on an ironing board, and would make a cracking "system layout" in fine-scale, either 4mm/ft or 7mm/ft. 

 

For one thing, its a golden excuse for a seriously untidy collection of locomotives and railcars, of all ages types and sizes!

Sounds like you've well & truly talked yourself into it....

[Nearholmer]

The trouble with lock-down, even in its now partial form, is that it increases opportunities to dream-up layouts, but dramatically reduces the time available to actually build even one. 

[sidmouth]

in an age where we are seduced by more and more fine detail there is a charm to more  old fashioned model railways . I started collecting when my eldest took a shine to their Grandfathers Hornby O Gauge , which had been bought to rekindle a childhood interest . The tactile nature of it , hands on , really appealed . 

 

Raiding certain well known auction sites , I amassed a collection of clockwork at what is (and still is with careful shopping) affordable prices

 

I now have my late fathers collection and derive as much pleasure running it as the far more detailed modern offerings. I still add to the collection , even this week adding a tinplate engine shed 

[uax6]

Back to magazine boots... According to wiki, magazine boots for army use are Boots, General Service but with a rubber heel and rubber crepe sole and no steel reinforcements so sparks cannot be generated..

 

Andy G

[Donw]

On 20/06/2020 at 12:50, Nearholmer said:

The trouble with lock-down, even in its now partial form, is that it increases opportunities to dream-up layouts, but dramatically reduces the time available to actually build even one. 

 

I presume this is due to having children to look after. For me it had made little difference to modelling time with a large garden and many things on the diy to do list I have no agreed modelling time either before the lockdown or since.  This is of course supposed to come to an end I think I had planned for all the work to be done by Dec 2018.

Don

[runs as required]

One apparently substantial clockwork railway doesn't appear (from a digital search*)  to have been commented on in this alluring thread so far:

I once owned a second-hand autobiography of Cecil J. Allen: "Two million miles of rail travel";  Ian Allan. 1965,

which I can only write of from memory.  

I'd leant the book to an old student friend, an accomplished organist like CJ Allen and a collector of old bound sets of RMs with Rouse Martin's and Allen's timing articles. But sadly my friend died suddenly of a heart attack a dozen or more years ago.

 

A closing chapter concerned the (mostly outdoors) I think end to end 0 gauge clockwork railway on a timber trestle running in a U shape around CJ Allen's  lawn.

Allen and a group of friends would selectively invite underprivileged boys from their Hertfordshire neighbourhood to come and be instructed in the operation of the railway. The group carried out carefully planned timetabling, following the Rule book in the proper execution of the line's block signalling. He claimed many went on to make a career in the railway industry.

There was a photo which appeared to be Basset-Lowke trackwork (though I am no expert).

 

I was surprised that there could be so much precision brought to operation and regulation of clockwork locomotives.

 

*You do have a post about a clockwork 0 gauge Midland Spinner being commissioned for his own layout by OS Nock.

 

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, runs as required said:

I was surprised that there could be so much precision brought to operation and regulation of clockwork locomotives.

The pinnacles of this were, to my mind, the Sherwood Section and Crewchester.