Annie's Virtual Pre-Grouping, Grouping and BR Layouts & Workbench

[Caley Jim]

7 minutes ago, Jol Wilkinson said:

IIRC, it was originally built like that, not a cut and shut, It is one carriage I have always  fancied modelling. Trevor Charlton may have done some etched zing sides for it, but I am not sure.

Agreed, but it looks like a cut'n'shut job!

 

Jim

[Hroth]

37 minutes ago, Regularity said:

Nothing like casual racism, is there?

 

Its just what I recall it sounding like, rather like hearing "Wipers" for "Ypres"...

 

[Annie]

My daughter wasn't very well yesterday so had to go to hospital to have some tests done.  Tests all came back normal and she's feeling better so will be back home this morning.  While I'm waiting I'm watching the Edwardian Farm series on Youtube and getting all kinds of ideas for railway projects.  I loved the Victorian Farm series as well and I know I'm going to watch them several times over the next few months.

[Compound2632]

1 hour ago, Jol Wilkinson said:

IIRC, it was originally built like that, not a cut and shut, It is one carriage I have always  fancied modelling. Trevor Charlton may have done some etched zing sides for it, but I am not sure.

 

With great temerity, I'll remind Jol that these composite sleeping carriages were rebuilt from turn-of-the-century WCJS composites and brake composites, with the first class section rebuilt in full Wolverton sleeping saloon style. So, cut but not shut.

[Regularity]

13 hours ago, Hroth said:

 

Its just what I recall it sounding like, rather like hearing "Wipers" for "Ypres"...

 

Well, that was a mispronounciation due to ignorance, which is at the root of all bigotry.

 

Edited October 10, 2020 by Regularity
Can forgive “Tommies” of over a century ago, due to poor education most had received.

[Jol Wilkinson]

14 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

With great temerity, I'll remind Jol that these composite sleeping carriages were rebuilt from turn-of-the-century WCJS composites and brake composites, with the first class section rebuilt in full Wolverton sleeping saloon style. So, cut but not shut.

How demoralising to be corrected by a MR enthusiast 

 

My library is in the Salle de Jardin, not in the house where the pc is located., so I didn't check my references before posting. I should know better.

[Compound2632]

3 minutes ago, Jol Wilkinson said:

How demoralising to be corrected by a MR enthusiast 

 

Ah but you see I'm also a LNWR enthusiast! 

 

The only model of a genuinely pre-grouping locomotive I own is a Bachmann coal tank...

[Annie]

Presently thinking about Coltishall having got hold of a genuine GER drawing of the track plan dated 1920.  It's a nice little rural station and it's about time I did something GER-ish since I've been doing lots of different projects for the past wee while.

The NLS has a 1905 25in to the mile OS map, but not any 19th century maps in this scale unfortunately.  This is from the 1885 6in to the mile OS map since I always like to default to a 19th century map if possible.  They have much more detail than the 20th century maps and are just so much nicer in the way they have been draughted.   There's usually less annoying buildings on them too, - especially in rural areas that became popular after WW1.

 

 

There's more than a few old photos of Coltishall about too since it was popular with folk who wanted to go boating on the Broads; - Not that I'm planning on going that far down on the map should all this become a proper project.

 

 

 

Edited October 11, 2020 by Annie
added a picture

[RedGemAlchemist]

9 minutes ago, Annie said:

Presently thinking about Coltishall having got hold of a genuine GER drawing of the track plan dated 1920.  It's a nice little rural station and it's about time I did something GER-ish since I've been doing lots of different projects for the past wee while.

The NLS has a 1905 25in to the mile OS map, but not any 19th century maps in this scale unfortunately.  This is from the 1885 6in to the mile OS map since I always like to default to a 19th century map if possible.  They have much more detail than the 20th century maps and are just so much nicer in the way they have been draughted.   There's usually less annoying buildings on them too, - especially in rural areas that became popular after WW1.

 

 

There's more than a few old photos of Coltishall about too since it was popular with folk who wanted to go boating on the Broads; - Not that I'm planning on going that far down on the map should all this become a proper project.

 

 

 

That's where my dad was born! (Coltishall village, not the station specifically.)

[Annie]

3 minutes ago, RedGemAlchemist said:

That's where my dad was born! (Coltishall village, not the station specifically.)

There certainly would be a story to tell if your Dad had been born at the station Red.  From all the old photos I've found it certainly looks to have been a lovely area of countryside.

[RedGemAlchemist]

Just now, Annie said:

There certainly would be a story to tell if your Dad had been born at the station Red.  From all the old photos I've found it certainly looks to have been a lovely area of countryside.

It is. He didn't live there long though; he moved to Feltwell when he was a few months old then lived there until he and my mum got married in 1989.

[simonmcp]

Has anybody noticed the size of the gatepost on the left by the children?  I estimate that to be well over 10 feet and pretty thick as well.

[Annie]

32 minutes ago, simonmcp said:

Has anybody noticed the size of the gatepost on the left by the children?  I estimate that to be well over 10 feet and pretty thick as well.

Yes that's a good serious gate post that one.  Makes me feel proud to model the GER.

[Annie]

Trainspotting on Lickey.  I did a conversion of the early BR version over to being a circa 1930 LMS version, but when I tried to shift a copy of the session schedule over as well TS2012 went all dopey and I nearly lost it all.  BUT I was able to sort it all out in the end.

I own a copy of the payware Potteries Loop Line project which is set in the 1930's so I thought I'd see if I could use some of the engines and rolling stock from PLL.

The Potteries Loop Line or PLL was/is an amazing project where a group of skilled creators for Trainz got together and built the ex-NSR loop line and developed a host of new scripting systems to control signals and traffic management as well as making locomotives with a host of interactive attachments.  PLL was built in TS2012 and there lies a problem because PLL absolutely pushed the TS2012 graphics and processing systems to the limit.  When TANE (Trainz; A New Error Era) came out the PLL team started on converting PLL to work in TANE since the new 64 bit game engine would be better able to run all PLL's complex scripting.  The only problem was that TANE was a buggy mess and every 'update' patch broke the carefully reworked scripting and after a while the team gave up and drifted away to do other things.

PLL is an amazing layout and I have managed to get parts of it to work in TANE, but perhaps it's greatest legacy is all the models that were specially created for it.

 

PLL project 'Black 5' on Lickey.  Most of the goods vans in the train were created for PLL as well.

 

 

 

 

PLL project Fowler 4F.

 

 

I did buy two well weathered LMS 4F's from GP Locomotives as well to add to the number of 4F's on the layout.

 

 

There is a lined black Fowler 4P Compound amongst the PLL engines, but I haven't put it through it's paces yet,  but I couldn't resist buying a red Fowler Compound from GP Locos.  Fully lined and simple lined Period II LMS coaches were made for the PLL project, but I decided to stick with Ken Green's fully lined Period I LMS coaches since they are made to a better standard of finish.

 

 

 

A new lined black Fowler 2P from GP Locos.  I purchased two of these.  At $3.50 each for a locomotive no matter what it is I am not busting up my household budget with buying yet more locomotives.

 

 

Finally my old weathered LMS 3P engines from TS2006 days get out to play.  I have clean ones as well, but they have texture issues which will need to be fixed before they are seen out in public.

 

 

 

Edited October 12, 2020 by Annie
words left out

[Annie]

More trainspotting.  A good while ago now Paul of Paulz Trainz gave me some very old Claughton models in LMS livery.  I haven't ever had them out of my digital trainset box and I wasn't even sure if they would work since they were made back in TS2004 days.

I have to say that No.2224 didn't run too badly, though I think it would benefit from a more modern sound file.  Its textures could do with a little work of course, but that shouldn't be too difficult.

It would be fairly doubtful that a Claughton ever did run on Lickey, but if I've got these old engines I might as well give them a tidy up.  I have another one in red and one in LMS black.  I also have one with 'BRITISH RAILWAYS' on the tender, but perhaps it might be best if i don't mention that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Annie]

 

Getting there.  I've muted the lining down to a golden straw colour and fixed various texture bits that had too much of a shine to them.  The sound file was fine, it was the engine spec that was clashing with it and making it sound distorted.  Now I can enjoy the lovely sound of a compound engine at work.  Due to the way various texture bits and their associated meshes are put together I don't think I can improve on this engine much more than it is now.

Something I am tempted to try though is copying a photo from a book I once owned on the LMS that showed Crewe's interpretation of the LMS livery as applied to a Claughton during the grouping transition period.  I might be able to do an engine in this livery, but I think the lettering masks on the tender are in the wrong places and aren't high enough.

Edited October 13, 2020 by Annie
awful grammatical errors

[Northroader]

Friday afternoon, going home from college, there was a 5:20 Derby to Worcester, limited stop, I.e. Burton Tamworth New Street Bromsgrove Droitwich, and more often than not, it had a 4F as power, which could get up quite a spirited gallop. 

[Annie]

54 minutes ago, Northroader said:

Friday afternoon, going home from college, there was a 5:20 Derby to Worcester, limited stop, I.e. Burton Tamworth New Street Bromsgrove Droitwich, and more often than not, it had a 4F as power, which could get up quite a spirited gallop. 

Yes I've often read about 4F's being used on passenger trains and for weekend excursion work Mr Northroader.  Thanks for posting about your own memories and experience of 4F's in passenger service.  At the moment I've got 4P compounds doing the Worcester service so perhaps I should use a 4F on this service from time to time for a bit of variety.

 

Since starting work on rebuilding the Lickey layout I've added additional loops and storage sidings to the fiddle yards at each end of the layout which has made it a lot easier to run a variety of trains to a basic timetable.

 

[Jake The Rat]

Beautiful.   When I first got interested in British steam, I admired Sir Nigel Gresley's famous pacifics. Only later I found out, that Sir William Stanier's creations are well on par, or maybe even slightly superior; just a matter of taste, I guess.

My current project 'Exley Castle' has a mixed bag of BR locos from all 4 regions, which I know is totally unrealistic, but I don't mind. It's meant to be a toy railway for a kid, & the kid is me.

But now that I see this, I feel like backdating it some 20 years & converting it to a pure LMS layout. I would have to cheat with the autotrain though, as there are no LMS autocoaches available. I might get away with a pair of BR crimson ones & an ex-LNWR 5ft6 2-4-2T, as long as you don't look too closely...

Edited October 13, 2020 by Jake The Rat

[Annie]

You could use the push-pull set from Paulz Trainz Jake.  http://www.paulztrainz.myenet.info/inside/N_PushPull.htm

I use these sets extensively on Middle Vales with ex-LNWR 2-4-2T tanks providing the motive power.  They are older models now, but are still reasonably nice given their age.  They are available in a number of liveries including LMS crimson lake. The only mod they need is updating the driving trailers to have a locomotive engine spec and a whistle sound.  

 

 

[Jake The Rat]

Great idea. I think, I will go shopping for some locos & coaches, as soon as I find out how to pay. (I don't use credit cards, & paypal has suspended my account, since they want a mobile phone number from me, & I don't have one. I hate mobile phones, never had one, never will. Hey, & you thought, you were oldschool... )

[Annie]

I own a truly ancient Nokia 'dumb phone' Jake which is fine for what I want.  Out here in the rural countryside the landline phone system tends to be unreliable in bad weather which is the main reason why I own a cellphone.  Only people I want to call me get my cellphone number and it's almost pretty much essential for two stage authentication with on-line banking and anything to do with money or on-line privacy.  My bank is 150 km away so doing things on-line is how I have to do things these day. 

[Annie]

 

It seems I have six Claughton locomotives.  I don't know how that happened.  Thinking back it's likely that I may have purchased two and as Paul sometimes does with his regular customers who purchase his older models he added in the other four to my order as freebies.

I also have some Claughtons by another maker, but they have some serious errors as well as texturing problems that are horrible to repair so they dwell in the archive hard drive of shame and I never use them.

 

I'm certain too that No.2224 is running about with a fictitious number since no LNWR Claughton carried this number and as well as that the LMS tidied up the very haphazard LNWR numbers and put them in a nice neat series 5900–6029.  I should do something about this Claughton's number and I have another lined red one as well that's incorrectly numbered.  All the others seem to be Ok.

The Claughton is only visiting on Lickey until I make my mind up as to whether I want to buy a 'Jubilee' or a 'Black 5' or not, - and anyway I'm having to be a bit careful with my money this week since my vacuum cleaner blew up and I had to get another one.  New engines are always a lot more fun than vacuum cleaners, but I'm having to be practical for once. (sigh)

[Annie]

My history bending BR Claughton visiting my virtual railway room where I test out different ideas and conduct experiments.

 

[Annie]

Furness Railway A5 0-4-0 tender engine of 1863 on the Minehead branch.  A new model that has just been released by Darlington Works.  It's a very sweet running engine and should be very useful.  As far as I know no Furness layouts exist for Trainz, -   however there is a a CK&PR layout, - but unfortunately that isn't a pre-grouping layout.  So for the meantime the new visitor can earn its keep on the Minehead branch along with my other old 19th century engines.