Deliberately Old-Fashioned 0 Scale - Chapter 1

[Edwardian]

A beautiful and evocative scene.  I have to report a suspected apostrophe crime, however. Was Mr Walker a grocer, by any chance?

[Edwardian]

On 06/07/2020 at 17:34, Nearholmer said:

Milk tanks again .......

 

All of the far too many that I’ve got are in pre-WW2 liveries, so when the modern-tinplate purveyors announced a post-WW2 steam era one I danced a little jig.

 

It arrived today and is seen being attached to the branch train while passengers wait patiently (as only cast metal passengers welded to surfboards can).

 

Most tanks were plain silver during the 1950s and early 1960s, but a few tanks painted in the late 1940s kept this blue IMS livery right into the early 1970s, under layers of filth. https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/gwrbrmilktanks

 

 

 

A beautiful train results.

 

... though perhaps you should put the gentlemen's urinal back on the platform.

[Nearholmer]

Target practice. Ten points for getting the point lever.

[Northroader]

No third rail there?

[rockershovel]

11 hours ago, GRASinBothell said:

Returning to the dog theme (this IS a dog forum, right???), and having mentioned Walker, and the station I've named after him, I thought I'd add a photo of the running-in board, with Mr and Mrs Mountbatten-Windsor waiting for a train (along with a strangely-young Mr Churchill).

The 3 dogs are from an Arttista pack (called Junk Yard dogs), containing a German Shepherd (Alsation for those on the other side of the Pond), a Rottweiler, and a Doberman - appropriate since Walker was a Doberman. Of course, the Mountbatten-Windsors should really be surrounded by Corgis, but I haven't been able to find a 1/43 scale one of those!

In the background, King Arthur class no 30456 Sir Galahad brings The Cunarder into the station.

Gordon

 

Mote years ago than enough, my then college invited the Duke of Cornwall to open the new buildings. When this didn’t transpire, the rarely-seen Queen Daphne of Tolvaddon staged a guerilla photo-op in front of the main doors with the President of the Students Union, sent it to the West Briton - who published it, local publishing being what it was in those days. 

 

Her Majesty was accompanied by a “royal corgi”, an oil tanker, North Sea Oil being a big story of the time..

[Keith Addenbrooke]

On 15/07/2020 at 22:29, Nearholmer said:

And, this years Best of Breed goes to .......

 

Back on track, I’ve almost finished laying the track on the little rural thing.

 

 

The “ballast” I’m really pleased with. It is “Stone” paint from a rattle can and I stole the idea from someone either on RMWeb or Classic 0 forum, but I can’t remember who. Very Hornby Dunlop, isn’t it?

 

I wish I’d known about this a while back, before I went shopping for some grey paint to cover my roadbed before tracklaying and balllasting my OO track - it would be a perfect way to hide any gaps that might appear in the ballast itself (either straightaway or over time).  Great idea.

[Nearholmer]

GRAS

 

Did you acquire some of the Darphin sunflowers, many of which are on Allen Levy’s line now?

 

K

[Nearholmer]

Some reassurance.

 

 

[GRASinBothell]

Edwardian,

The original Mr Walker (actually, Mr Skywalker) after whom Walker was named was a Jedi Knight, so no, he wasn't a grocer. As regards apostrophe crimes, did station names ever include apostrophes? You won't find one in Parsons Green, for example:

Nearholmer,

No, nothing so fancy (or expensive!). They are from JTT Scenery Products (http://miniaturetree.com/landscaping-detailing/43-sunflowers.html).

They make a lot of flowers and vegetables in O and HO scales, and you can find them in a lot of hobby/craft shops over here (not just specialist train ones). The flowers (and leaves) are paper. I did share a picture of the flower bed with Allen.

Hmm... Still hoping someone can point me to a 1/43 scale Pembroke or Cardigan Corgi. Like most of us (I suspect), there is no shortage of the diecast kind of Corgi...

Gordon

[Nearholmer]

In defence of my former employer, the presence or absence of apostrophes in Underground station names is the subject of much agonising, and is decided based on local area usage and history.

 

King’s Cross is one where LT has an apostrophe, but most local users don’t use one.

 

 

Edited July 23, 2020 by Nearholmer

[GRASinBothell]

Well, I stand corrected.

Of course, local usage in the Walkers Park area drops the apostrophe!

Gordon

[Nearholmer]

Earl's Court has one; Barons Court doesn't. This is apparently because the station was built on the former site of an earl's court, but the latter is a name made-up by C19th property developers to sound posh - its most notable feature is actually a strange park that is a former graveyard with some gravestones intact. Parsons Green used to have one, but it fell-off some years ago.

 

 

One of the chaps in charge of apostrophes is David Leboff, author of more books about the history of the Underground than you can shake a stick at, and he cares about it a lot.

 

 

Edited July 23, 2020 by Nearholmer

[Keith Addenbrooke]

2 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

Earl's Court has one; Barons Court doesn't. This is apparently because the station was built on the former site of an earl's court, but the latter is a name made-up by C19th property developers to sound posh - its most notable feature is actually a strange park that is a former graveyard with some gravestones intact. Parsons Green used to have one, but it fell-off some years ago.

 

One of the chaps in charge of apostrophes is David Leboff, author of more books about the history of the Underground than you can shake a stick at, and he cares about it a lot.

 

 

The Parish Church at Parsons Green, close to the station, is - I believe - said to be the only one in the country dedicated to St Dionys.

 

Relevance?  Was the area first known as Parson’s  Green when the Church was first built, then had to become Parsons’ Green when the first Vicar retired or moved on?  No wonder the apostrophe fell off it was loose from being moved?  Just wondered.

[GRASinBothell]

Nearholmer's reference to "a name made-up by C19th property developers to sound posh" reminds me of something I've noticed over here in the US. Sometimes, a property developer will use the proper English, rather than the American-English spelling for words like "Harbour" and "Centre" in the name of their developments. I have always assumed that must have been good for an extra dollar per square foot on the rent...

Gordon

[St Enodoc]

5 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

Earl's Court has one; Barons Court doesn't. This is apparently because the station was built on the former site of an earl's court, but the latter is a name made-up by C19th property developers to sound posh - its most notable feature is actually a strange park that is a former graveyard with some gravestones intact. Parsons Green used to have one, but it fell-off some years ago.

 

One of the chaps in charge of apostrophes is David Leboff, author of more books about the history of the Underground than you can shake a stick at, and he cares about it a lot.

Well, if there are any spare apostrophe's (see what I did there?) lying around, Mill 'ill East could use a couple.

[Northroader]

Hurricanes hardly ever happen in Hammersmith.

[ian]

6 hours ago, Northroader said:

Hurricanes hardly ever happen in Hammersmith.

 

Unless there's some Fokkers in Messerschmidts overhead.

[Nearholmer]

I still haven’t found time to wire this, but I brought it back into the study and I thought one or two might find interesting to see how it will fulfil its purpose as something halfway between a photo-plank and a very tiny layout.

 

As per Northroader’s concept, this is the “bare stage”, to be set-dressed in different ways.

 

Edited July 24, 2020 by Nearholmer

[GRASinBothell]

Trying to get us back to model trains, I see!

It's looking good (and ready for some of that scenic stage-setting). Which version are you starting with first?

I see you have a (possibly slightly over-scale) figure on the bookcase, waiting to be used. Or is it something that belongs to your apprentice?

Gordon

[Northroader]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JmL-47bMyjY

 

[Nearholmer]

36 minutes ago, GRASinBothell said:

Which version are you starting with first?

Not sure yet - English pre-grouping would probably be easiest, because I’ve got station, level crossing and signal already, but we shall see.

 

Need to wire it, and make a small fiddle-yard first, and my school report on fiddle-yards For portable 0-gauge goes something like: 
 

Effort 7/10;

Attainment 2/10;

Overall D+;

Must pay much more attention to detail next term if he wishes to obtain even a basic pass in O-level woodwork.

 

So ..........

 

(The Teddy was a present from my daughter on Father’s Day - I suspect that she hoped I’d give it to her afterwards)

Edited July 24, 2020 by Nearholmer

[Simond]

What should we conclude from the observation that you have apparently retained the said bear?
 

I think you can look forward to more, how can I put this, relevant presents as time goes by.  I received a bottle of Indian whisky.  Interesting...

 

Simon

[rockershovel]

Being in overall charge of London Underground’s apostrophe fleet sounds like a rather fine thing to have on one’s CV!

[rockershovel]

On 23/07/2020 at 14:56, Nearholmer said:

Some reassurance.

 

 

 

Bulldog Drummond I recognise, but is the other chap (in the teal jacket) some sort of 1940s Michael Portillo? 

[Nearholmer]

That’s Ron Weasley’s dad, I’m told.