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

[Northroader]

Looking in my IoW “bible”, the IWC called their station “Ventnor Town”, although a mile from the centre and up a long steep hill, and the IWR called theirs, which was a bit nearer the middle, only halfway up a hill, as just “Ventnor”. When the Southern took over, the IWR station became “Ventnor Town” and the IWC changed to “Ventnor West”.

Book in question is by Peter Paye, who had previously done a book of mainly late post WW2 pictures, but accumulated a lot of earlier items, and included in this book, which I would recommend, OPC Pictorial format, published 1984, isbn 0 86093 212 5.

e

[sem34090]

I'm looking at modelling an IoW subject at some point to provide a home for this;

(Had to be done given I will soon be helping take delivery of a real one... Yes I will keep bragging about it. Website here; www.lttractiongroup.co.uk)

Either that or the Epping Ongar Railway. I'm thinking of possibly doing either a Pier Head shuttle unit job or doing a Ventnor 'What if' so as to free my hand enough to actually have a station of a size I can model but with some degree of operational interest.

 

I'd love to do Ryde St John's Road at any period of its history but just don't have room. Heck, I'd love to do the entire island railway system at any point in its history! It's the only railway that continues to hold my interest in its modern form, although that interest will likely wane after the '38 tube stock leaves and the Island Line ceases to be completely unlike any other. It's the ultimate 'full system' model railway!

 

I second @Northroader in his book recommendation: Lots of hugely inspirational eye candy in there.

Edited November 27, 2020 by sem34090

[Edwardian]

23 minutes ago, Northroader said:

Looking in my IoW “bible”, the IWC called their station “Ventnor Town”, although a mile from the centre and up a long steep hill, and the IWR called theirs, which was a bit nearer the middle, only halfway up a hill, as just “Ventnor”. When the Southern took over, the IWR station became “Ventnor Town” and the IWC changed to “Ventnor West”.

Book in question is by Peter Paye, who had previously done a book of mainly late post WW2 pictures, but accumulated a lot of earlier items, and included in this book, which I would recommend, OPC Pictorial format, published 1984, isbn 0 86093 212 5.

e

 

Thanks, I'll try to find a copy.

 

Nice rake of IWR Oldburys in the top picture.

[Edwardian]

3 hours ago, Edwardian said:

 

Thanks, I'll try to find a copy.

 

Nice rake of IWR Oldburys in the top picture.

 

£6.10 plus postage. Can't argue with that.  On order!

[Compound2632]

5 hours ago, Edwardian said:

To other cliché subjects e.g. Settle & Carlisle, I have gained immunity.

 

Been there, done that, moved on. I never had a space big enough to evoke the mountains of Craven. But it does still linger on in my Midland POMI of c. 1902/3 - just late enough for the first pair of Compounds, which were first put to work between Leeds and Carlisle. One can dream!

Edited November 27, 2020 by Compound2632

[Annie]

Digging about in my digital trainset box I have re-discovered 'Lincoln Castle' and that might do as a better representation of a ship to have tied up at the pier.  The two funnel job is indeed a reskin of the old T.E.V. 'Rangatira'  and there's another reskin variation out of sight on the other side of the pier.  Plainly they will have to go.

 

 

The very first test run I did on this layout was with a very old Terrier model from a series which up until now have been the only Terriers readily available for Trainz.  The much better ones I have on my Norfolk layout came from a now long gone website and are no longer available.

 

 

So as you can imagine the new Terriers are a revelation and are stunning models.  My only complaint is that the multiposition cab view doesn't have a position where I can sight ahead through the front cab windows which was possible with the older Terrier model.  Otherwise the new Terriers are brilliant and are delight to drive as compared to the old ones.

 

 

[Northroader]

The Lincoln Castle would be a much better bet for the Portsmouth ferry. Just to mess you around some more, the Ryde Pier was T shaped, so that a couple of boats were able to work square on to the trains, rather than alongside them. This was necessary to keep the boats in deeper water, as the bottom shelved up to the beach under the pier.

PS the boat I was pictured by is the PS Ryde, which has quite an interesting history:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/PS_Ryde

Edited November 27, 2020 by Northroader

[Annie]

19 minutes ago, Northroader said:

The Lincoln Castle would be a much better bet for the Portsmouth ferry. Just to mess you around some more, the Ryde Pier was T shaped, so that a couple of boats were able to work square on to the trains, rather than alongside them. This was necessary to keep the boats in deeper water, as the bottom shelved up to the beach under the pier.

Well that certainly sounds more sensible than how things are at the moment.  Thanks very much for pointing me in the right direction.

 

http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/SouthernRailway/IOW_Ryde_PS-08.jpg

[Northroader]

Sometimes....... (hope you can get this over there)

https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-a-railway-journey-from-ryde-pier-head-to-ventnor-1956-online

[Annie]

Noooooooooooooooo!  I am forbidden, I am of those cast into the outer darkness  

 

Thanks for making the attempt though Mr Northroader.

Edited November 27, 2020 by Annie

[Edwardian]

So, the first couple of mins shows Ryde Pier Head:

 

 

[Annie]

Brilliant! - Thank you very much James.  Those screen capture images will be very useful indeed to help sort things out properly on the pier.  Needless to say what's present on the pier as modelled is not much like that.

 

I've had a fairly rotten day with not being able to stay awake so seeing these images was a big cheer up.

 

Since finally managing to stay awake about three hours ago I did a lot of trip working and shunting on my Norfolk layout which helped to get my brain working again.  I've got other layouts, but it's always my Norfolk layout that cheers me up the most if i'm having a none too good time of it with narcolepsy.  I took some snaps and I'll post them later once I've got them sorted out.

 

I took a snap of the other IOW Terriers I have.  No.13 on the left was the only Terrier to be turned out in this livery and No.8 has a magic script so it can be changed into any of the other Southern IOW Terriers.

 

 

Looking at these lovely new Terriers though I suddenly realised that the ones I have on my Norfolk layout don't have Westinghouse pumps.  Because nothing else amongst my Affiliated (Imaginary) Railway Companies fleet have Westinghouse pumps I somehow didn't notice the lack.  With the Affiliated Companies being users of the vacuum brake  I suppose it doesn't matter too much.  I shall simply rewrite their history to say that they arranged for vacuum brake conversions when they purchased the four Terriers that they own.

It's still a mystery as to why these reasonably nice digital models were made without Westinghouse pumps though.

 

[Edwardian]

It seems they've done you a favour by omitting the pumps. 

 

They were removed from Terriers sold to vac-braked lines, e.g. the LSW pair, and the K&ES pair. 

 

So, too, we are told, the Westinghouse gear was removed from the SE&CR 751 (Bradley RCTS), but, late in the day with the Rails Terrier, I found a very poor picture that showed something very like the pump cylinders still attached to 751 while on the Isle of Sheppey.  Now, whether redundant Westinghouse pumps or SE&CR cylinders for a steam reverser, which look very similar, it was impossible to say, but I put the call in and pumps were included on the model.  Hornby included the pumps on their 751 as well, I noticed.  

[Annie]

This is my new K&ESR Terrier.  Because I'm so used to my Affiliated (Imaginary) Companies Terriers I never gave a thought to the fact that it didn't have a Westinghouse pump.  As you say James the maker of my older TS2012 Terriers did me a favour. 

 

Edited November 28, 2020 by Annie

[AdamsRadial]

18 hours ago, Annie said:

I am of those cast into the outer darkness 

And there I was thinking the Nephilim perished with the flood...

[Edwardian]

2 hours ago, Annie said:

This is my new K&ESR Terrier.  Because I'm so used to my Affiliated (Imaginary) Companies Terriers I never gave a thought to the fact that it didn't have a Westinghouse pump.  As you say James the maker of my older TS2012 Terriers did me a favour. 

 

 

Oh, that's a very good rendition of Bodiam.  From c.1906, probably.

[Compound2632]

3 hours ago, Edwardian said:

Hornby included the pumps on their 751 as well, I noticed.  

 

No doubt the outcome of independent research.

[Edwardian]

2 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

No doubt the outcome of independent research.

 

Yes, it would have been. 

 

 

[Annie]

To my everlasting shame No.2 had not turned a wheel in months when I decided to do some trip working on my Norfolk layout yesterday.  A peculiar system crash while running Trainz some months ago wiped out the scheduling on my Norfolk layout as well as suddenly deleting half the rolling stock on the layout and since then I'd been spending my time getting the scheduling to work again and generally fixing things so I'd had no time to indulge in trip working and shunting.

No.2 is an Affiliated (Imaginary) Railway Companies engine made from all manner of digital bits and pieces that weren't meant to fit together.  In grandiose style the A.(I).R.C. define No.2 as a 'standard type, 6 wheels coupled'.  They only have the one at the moment, but I may add in the missing No.3 as well since No.2 is a very useful engine when it comes to trip working.

The GER have made two Y14's available to the A.(I).R.C. ,but some of the goods yards along the tramway and light railway sections are not exactly friendly to anything that's not a smaller sized tank engine.

 

 

No.2 is shedded at the subshed at Bluebell Magna and its main job is trip working between the goods yard at  Bluebell Magna and all the outlying goods yards in the surrounding area.  No.2 isn't allowed to run on the Hopewood Tramway though except for the goods yard at Hopewood on Sea via the connection with the Windweather Tramway, - and the Eastlingwold & Great Mulling looks after its own trip workings (thank you very much).

I tend to build shunting puzzle type goods yards which require some thought to shunt which is good therapy for my stupid fogged up brain.  I don't like building and setting up double slips much, but I had no other choice with that one in the snap taken at Bluebell Magna.  There's also one in the goods yard which was the only way to make the yard function properly in the space available.

 

 

Shunting.  There's two vans for Windweather that needed to be separated out from other wagons in a bit of a puzzle shunt, - and yes I deliberately set it up like that.  After that there's two more vans for Windweather to pick up from the factory siding on the other side of Bluebell Magna.

 

 

And we're off.  Next job is picking up three awkwardly placed wagons at Barrow Hills goods yard and taking them through to the goods yard at Tenpenny Wharf via the Windweather Tramway where two vans loaded with cheese need to be picked up from the dairy factory.  They will be coming back to Bluebell Magna along with whatever else is ready to go at Windweather goods yard.

 

 

The four vans have been temporarily parked in a siding and now the three wagons picked up at Barrow Hills are being propelled towards Tenpenny Wharf.  The Tenpenny branch is more a light railway than a tramway, but there is a long section of roadside trackwork at its outer end, so most of the engines assigned here have tramway skirts.

 

 

 

No.044 at Tenpenny Wharf station.  I forgot to take more snaps at Tenpenny Wharf because No.044 got into a muddle with its schedule and by the time that was fixed the day was moving on so it was quickly getting No.2 to pick up the cheese vans and the other four vans and heading off to Windweather.

 

 

No.2 waiting at Windweather goods yard for No.8 to come through with a passenger train so it can complete its shunt.  Traffic isn't exactly heavy on the tramways so it's fairly easy to work trip shunts into the timetable scheduling.

There were two vans from Windweather to go to Barrow Hills and that was where the fun started as an E&GR goods train was in Barrow Hills yard and while sorting all that out No.7 came in from the Windweather Tramway with a passenger train.  I decided to save proceedings at that point because I was getting sleepy and I will come back to this session later on.  I had an awful lot of fun doing all this and it cheered me up a lot.

 

 

 

 

[Annie]

 

Book Corner.

 

A member of the Trainz Forum told me about this book.  It's available from Mortons Media both as a bookazine (whatever one of those is) and in a digital format.  I went for the digital version, not only because it's a bit cheaper, but because ordering books from the Uk when the world's postal networks are going to be overloaded for the next month didn't seem very smart.

It's all a bit shiny and very like the other magazines from Mortons, but there are numerous old black and white photos as well as maps along with what seems to be a readable description of each of the railways.  My eyesight is a bit Woolworths at the moment so I haven't read very far into my copy yet.  It's certainly not a complete and authoritative history, but useful enough.

[Annie]

I carried on for a while with the session I was having fun with yesterday, but soon it was getting dark and it was time for the last trains of the day.

 

At Foxhollow on the BH&FER.

 

[AdamsRadial]

That Stephens book is a new one on me, I might celebrate the arrival of my state pension in a few weeks by getting a copy.

 

Can I in turn recommend to you "Colonel Stephens - Insights into the man and his empire" by Phillip Shaw and Vic Mitchell? It has a lot of articles on what life was like in the offices from where Stephens and then Austen managed their portfolio of lines. I'm not sure if it's available as digital media, I got mine from the Tenterden Shop back in 2006 when I passed through.

 

The ISBN is 1 904474 62 4 , but I far prefer names. I hate numbers.

 

"I am not a number, I am a free man!"

"You are not just free, Number Six, you are cheap into the bargain"

[Annie]

3 hours ago, AdamsRadial said:

Can I in turn recommend to you "Colonel Stephens - Insights into the man and his empire" by Phillip Shaw and Vic Mitchell? It has a lot of articles on what life was like in the offices from where Stephens and then Austen managed their portfolio of lines. I'm not sure if it's available as digital media, I got mine from the Tenterden Shop back in 2006 when I passed through.

Thanks for that Adam.  There seems to be plenty of second hand copies around so I'll add that to my post-Christmas book list.

[Regularity]

5 hours ago, AdamsRadial said:

Colonel Stephens - Insights into the man

Don’t know about his “empire”, but he strikes me as a somewhat unpleasant individual.

[Annie]

This morning I had my three ruinous old teeth extracted which involved two hours of intense work by our very nice local dentist.  I'm afraid my nerves got a bit shattered towards the end and I started to cry.  I had excellent pain relief, but it was just the constant onslaught of getting all the broken bits of teeth out of my jaw.  Due to various bits of my DNA being in the right sequence I have very hard bones and my daughter is the same so any procedure requiring bone to be chipped, sawn or ground takes ages. 

The clinic staff were very good though and were kind to me and the clinic manager gave me a ride home in her car once it was all over.  I crashed out asleep when I got home and I've not long woken up just now.  I keep microsleeping and can't stay properly awake, but that doesn't surprise me any and I will most probably keep on being like this for the next couple of days.

 

Edited December 1, 2020 by Annie
can't spell for toffee