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

[AdamsRadial]

7 hours ago, Annie said:

I think there's something odd going on with my graphics card settings because what looks like a good screenshot in the simulator is messed up when I have a look at the images later.

I'm not sure what the modern trainz modes are but if you are saving screenshots as jpg files the results can be disappointing, the best results I got were using png files.

[Annie]

Thanks very much James.  The Pollitt is an almost right reskin job I did on a GNoSR 4-4-0 with an almost right reskinned tender from a Highland Railway engine.  The same GNoSR 4-4-0 model has spawned  more than a few very well done reskin jobs to represent various Victorian 4-4-0s that were very much lacking in Trainz.  For all its faults it remains one of the favourite locomotives in my collection.

 

The mineral wagons are all quite fictitious and I did a series of them based on the names and talents of various members of the creator group I belong to.  They've proved to be quite popular amongst Trainz folk since they get around the problem of, - 'is this PO wagon right for my area?' - very nicely.  I had a lot of fun making the textures for them.

 

The sheep wagons are based on GNR ones as far as I know.  A while ago I did find the drawing that was used as a reference when they were being created, but I seem to have somehow misplaced it.  This drawing is somewhere on the Internet Archive so I should try and find it again.

[Annie]

7 minutes ago, AdamsRadial said:

I'm not sure what the modern trainz modes are but if you are saving screenshots as jpg files the results can be disappointing, the best results I got were using png files.

Thanks for that Adam I'll give that a try and see if it's an improvement.

[Caley Jim]

36 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

  IIRC, someone does a 4mil model of a similar wagon used by a Scottish company, which yours resemble.

The Highland was the only company in Scotland to use them as far as I am aware.   They and the CR also used open wagons fitted with raves to transport sheep in the busy times of the year.

 

Jim

[Edwardian]

9 hours ago, Caley Jim said:

The Highland was the only company in Scotland to use them as far as I am aware.   They and the CR also used open wagons fitted with raves to transport sheep in the busy times of the year.

 

Jim

 

Thanks, Jim.  I borrowed both ideas for the WNR, and you have helpfully reminded me from whence.

[Annie]

Running about on the Cornish Mainline route in TANE just for the hell of it even though the signalling is a crime and the line from Truro to Cambourne is a forest fire waiting to happen.

 

Today was a total disaster since the dentist phoned to say that an appointment was available due to a cancellation, but the local taxi service wasn't running due to a death in the family so with my daughter's encouragement and support I managed to walk to the dental clinic.  And when I got there my Social Welfare Payment card wouldn't work so that was the end of that.  Since I was just about done in the clinic manager kindly gave my daughter and I a lift home.  I tried phoning social welfare only they now have a robot voice gatekeeper on their phone service that I had to try and tell what I wanted before it would switch me to the right department, - only whatever I said it replied, 'I'm sorry I didn't understand that'.  So in the end I told it 'Sod off you @!%$&.'......... 'I'm sorry I didn't understand that.....'

So I emailed my casemanager directly before crashing out asleep, but she hasn't replied yet. 

I really thought I was going to rid of these busted teeth today, but no luck.  Now I won't be able to get an appointment with the dentist until next week , - that's if I can get a new payment card on time.  And I still can't eat anything but soup with nothing lumpy in it.    

 

[Jake The Rat]

I must admit that I have never seen a GWR Atlantic & had to look up what it might be: a Scott Class?

 

Over the last few days I have been strictly following Annie's commandment "Do silly things."

I noticed the Axminster station building on DLS & I remembered to read about Axminster carpets in this thread, & I asked myself: why not Axminster station on an Axminster carpet?

So I took this simple layout

 

... enlarged it & added loops for runaround-train manoeuvers.

 

Then I had to find out where Axminster is located: Devon, south of Taunton, east of Exeter; LSWR & later SR territory. No LNWR or LMS stock this time...

3 trains are minimum for me, no matter how tiny the layout may be.

An express train running counterclockwise...

 

... a local train running clockwise...

 

... & a goods train running forth & back between factory...

 

... & goods shed.

 

Notice that the tunnel is totally useless; that's why it's there.

 

 

 

[Annie]

1 hour ago, Jake The Rat said:

I must admit that I have never seen a GWR Atlantic & had to look up what it might be: a Scott Class?

 

 

Showing great restraint I've only got No, 181 'Ivanhoe'.  They were called the Scott class because their names all came from Sir Walter Scott's novels.

Showing no restraint at all I've got several De Glehn Atlantics, - though some of those are French and not GWR ones.

 

As for your wonderful layout I heartily approve and it put a smile on my face on a day when I didn't much feel like smiling at all.

Very much in the spirit of a trainset on the floor and really quite delightful in every way.

 

The LSWR Seaton model railway layout I built a short while ago would have been sited on the other side of the river from Axminster in Devon.

[Annie]

Something different.  A friend on the Trainz forum told me about this IOW layout.  Nothing fancy, made originally for TS2012, but I've got it installed in TANE.  While it isn't about hyper-realism or being fastidiously exact it's been put together very well.  The IOW Central Railway Terriers were bundled with my K&ESR ones (for some unknown reason) when I purchased them so they've been taken out of my digital trainset box and dusted off.  I didn't know what coaches were appropriate so my generic teak litho 6 wheelers were pressed into service.

I'll have some more pictures later on once I've played trains for a while.

 

[NeilHB]

Ooh very nice Annie - the IoWC livery does suit the Terriers nicely! I can recommend the Oakwood Press books on the IoW Railways - there are three that deal with each of the pre-grouping railways (Isle of Wight, Isle of Wight Central, Freshwater Yarmouth and Newport), plus a later one which covers the coaching stock used on the Islands railways from inception through to BR (Isle of Wight Steam Passenger Rolling Stock): 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0853615071/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

[Northroader]

The trains nice, the boat...?

[Edwardian]

3 hours ago, NeilHB said:

Ooh very nice Annie - the IoWC livery does suit the Terriers nicely! I can recommend the Oakwood Press books on the IoW Railways - there are three that deal with each of the pre-grouping railways (Isle of Wight, Isle of Wight Central, Freshwater Yarmouth and Newport), plus a later one which covers the coaching stock used on the Islands railways from inception through to BR (Isle of Wight Steam Passenger Rolling Stock): 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0853615071/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

 

All thoroughly worthwhile, though also add Bradley's volume on the locomotives and the (forget who by it's downstairs) a volume on the 'Island Terriers'.

 

For Terriers generally, see Colin Binnie and Frank Middlemas books in addition to Bradley RCTS.

[Annie]

5 hours ago, NeilHB said:

Ooh very nice Annie - the IoWC livery does suit the Terriers nicely! I can recommend the Oakwood Press books on the IoW Railways - there are three that deal with each of the pre-grouping railways (Isle of Wight, Isle of Wight Central, Freshwater Yarmouth and Newport), plus a later one which covers the coaching stock used on the Islands railways from inception through to BR (Isle of Wight Steam Passenger Rolling Stock): 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0853615071/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

     Thanks Neil.  There seems to be plenty of copies of the book around at a fair price, but the postage to New Zealand is horrible.  It might be wise to wait until after Christmas though to make sure that it doesn't end up being lost in the post.

Edited November 26, 2020 by Annie
more to say

[Northroader]

To show you what an Isle of Wight ferry looks like, here’s two old wrecks, both built in 1937.

[Annie]

2 hours ago, Northroader said:

The trains nice, the boat...?

Many years ago when Trainz was first released someone made a digital model of one of the old inter-island ferries here in New Zealand.  And ever since it's been reskinned into being all manner of other ships.  That was one example.

 

Yes it's not correct at all, but I can't really think of another ship model for Trainz that would make a good replacement.  I will have a hunt about though and see what I can find.

Thanks very much for the photo as that will be a big help.

[Annie]

2 hours ago, Edwardian said:

 

All thoroughly worthwhile, though also add Bradley's volume on the locomotives and the (forget who by it's downstairs) a volume on the 'Island Terriers'.

 

For Terriers generally, see Colin Binnie and Frank Middlemas books in addition to Bradley RCTS.

Thanks James, - I will have a look around for books to add to my library as the railways on the Isle of Wight have been something I've wanted to learn more about.

[Edwardian]

22 minutes ago, Annie said:

Thanks James, - I will have a look around for books to add to my library as the railways on the Isle of Wight have been something I've wanted to learn more about.

 

IoW was well known as a repository for pre-Grouping stock, but the Oakwood book on the coaching stock was a little bit of a disappointment to me because it concentrates on the pre-Grouping stock the Southern brought to the Island.

 

In terms of the stock that ran on the Island in the pre-Grouping era, you're better off with the 3 other Oakwood volumes mentioned, which deal with the IoW constituent companies.

 

Your IWC Terrier in the 1900s would most likely be seen with some early ex-LSW transfers, including a train worth of those 1876 Compos that Linny made.  There were also NLR, Metropolitan and GER coaches on the IWCR at that period. 

 

EDIT: Not a cheap volume, but a good one - Isle of Wight Central Railway - as are the companion vols on the IWR and the Freshwater, Yarmouth etc 

Edited November 26, 2020 by Edwardian

[Annie]

1 hour ago, Edwardian said:

There were also NLR, Metropolitan and GER coaches on the IWCR at that period. 

Some of my generic teak coaches are based on MET coaches so they will do as a stop gap.  As to the other early coaches I may be able to do something once I have some more information.

Thank you your advice about suitable books James.  I won't make any purchases now as the chances of them getting lost in the post would be very high at this time of year, but I will look into it come the New Year.

 

While I do now own a brand new pair of IOW Terriers in Southern colors having fallen into the trap of doing what everybody does when it comes to modelling the Isle of Wight, I'm going to delay making use of them since I'd much rather explore the earlier period on the island and make use of the IOW Central Terriers I'd regarded as orphans up until now.

[robmcg]

19 hours ago, Annie said:

 

 

Showing great restraint I've only got No, 181 'Ivanhoe'.  They were called the Scott class because their names all came from Sir Walter Scott's novels.

Showing no restraint at all I've got several De Glehn Atlantics, - though some of those are French and not GWR ones.

 

As for your wonderful layout I heartily approve and it put a smile on my face on a day when I didn't much feel like smiling at all.

Very much in the spirit of a trainset on the floor and really quite delightful in every way.

 

The LSWR Seaton model railway layout I built a short while ago would have been sited on the other side of the river from Axminster in Devon.

 

Hi Annie,  the pic of the GWR Scott reminds me so much of what I did yesterday, colour a GCR Robinson G9 4-cylinder 4-6-0....  bits of an old library b+w and a thoroughly incorrect 4-4-0's tender, but atmosphere is nice.

 

 

Doing Riddles 9Fs today...  that would be a bridge too far, you old fashion types must be respected!

 

Cheers

 

 

[Edwardian]

6 hours ago, Annie said:

 

While I do now own a brand new pair of IOW Terriers in Southern colors having fallen into the trap of doing what everybody does when it comes to modelling the Isle of Wight, 

 

Yes, I go for the first - Red - Terriers, 9 & 10.  No.9 first appears, 1899 IIRC, with the number inside a tankside garter, then in a year or two they adopt the lettering you depict and No.10 starts of with that.  Slightly less interestingly, IMHO, they later go black.  Of course, standard A1 condition as sold, none of this extended bunker or hybrid A1X stuff that everyone fetishises.

 

Most commonly one of them is seen on the Ventnor Town branch with 3 or so of the LSW 1876 Compos and a brake that looks SW  but slightly higher with the same roof radius; I have been unable to identify the diagram. 

 

Of course, the Red Terriers, wonderful as they are, are still the least interesting of the Line's motive power at the turn of the Century. Like the IWR, they have a number of those gorgeous Beyer Peacock 2-4-0Ts. 

[Annie]

31 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

 

Yes, I go for the first - Red - Terriers, 9 & 10.  No.9 first appears, 1899 IIRC, with the number inside a tankside garter, then in a year or two they adopt the lettering you depict and No.10 starts of with that.  Slightly less interestingly, IMHO, they later go black.  Of course, standard A1 condition as sold, none of this extended bunker or hybrid A1X stuff that everyone fetishises.

 

Most commonly one of them is seen on the Ventnor Town branch with 3 or so of the LSW 1876 Compos and a brake that looks SW  but slightly higher with the same roof radius; I have been unable to identify the diagram. 

 

Of course, the Red Terriers, wonderful as they are, are still the least interesting of the Line's motive power at the turn of the Century. Like the IWR, they have a number of those gorgeous Beyer Peacock 2-4-0Ts. 

I have the early red Terrier No.9 as well, but decided to go with the the later version with the lettering on the tanksides.  The later version has a magic script to change its number so the rest of the red Terriers can be represented.

The Beyer Peacock 2-4-0T's sound delightful, but I don't know of anything like that being available for Trainz at the moment.  Perhaps I should prod the Terrier's maker and see if he has any interest in doing them.

Most probably I'll make a start by changing the signals and then gradually begin rolling back time on this layout.  Once I can get some reference books after the New Year I'll get a bit more serious about it.

 

 

Not much was done today as I was out getting a new Social Welfare payment card since my old one had indeed quietly gone and died.  I then went to the dental clinic in town and got everything sorted out and I now have an appointment for evicting busted old teeth early next week.  In total contrast to my previous attempt everything worked out perfectly today which was a huge relief.  I'm pretty sleepy now so I won't be doing much more before I head off to bed.

Edited November 27, 2020 by Annie
can't spell for toffee

[Compound2632]

Red terriers? Now we're talking!

Edited November 27, 2020 by Compound2632

[Edwardian]

1 hour ago, Annie said:

I have the early red Terrier No.9 as well, but decided to go with the the later version with the lettering on the tanksides.  The later version has a magic script to change its number so the rest of the red Terriers can be represented.

The Beyer Peacock 2-4-0T's sound delightful, but I don't know of anything like that being available for Trainz at the moment.  Perhaps I should prod the Terrier's maker and see if he has any interest in doing them.

Most probably I'll make a start by changing the signals and then gradually begin rolling back time on this layout.  Once I can get some reference books after the New Year I'll get a bit more serious about it.

 

 

Not much was done today as I was out getting a new Social Welfare payment card since my old one had indeed quietly gone and died.  I then went to the dental clinic in town and got everything sorted out and I now have an appointment for evicting busted old teeth early next week.  In total contrast to my previous attempt everything worked out perfectly today which was a huge relief.  I'm pretty sleepy now so I won't be doing much more before I head off to bed.

 

Ventnor Town, rather than the more well-known 'chalk pit' Ventnor of the IWR, is not a station that I recall seeing much comment about, or modelled, yet it is an ideal 'minimal' BLT format.

 

Given that you could probably run a brace of Red Terriers and a Beyer or two, with an interesting bag of ex-mainline coaches, I'm surprised it's not been done as a layout, and done frequently. 

 

I might have a word in certain quarters ....

[Northroader]

Theres quite a good layout in the “blogs”

 

[Edwardian]

Ah, yes, thank you, the other bit of Merstone, which is a really lovely layout.  The chap responsible is a thoroughly nice chap.  Linny and I had a good chat with him at a show.  He took his Paddlebox out to show us! Ventnor West was not part of the set up on that occasion. 

 

Now, there is a book in the Oakwood series dealing with the Island's lines after 1923. I haven't bothered with that, as it's beyond my POMI* and takes us into IoW railways cliché** territory.  So, "Ventnor West", is that a Southern designation?

 

Also, I am confused because, though the layout track plan resembles that of Ventnor Town from about 1900, the goods shed on the model is orientated back to front. I wonder if this was necessary to save space on the model; it seems an unlikely thing for the Southern to have changed?

 

 

Anyway, you get a lovely range of stone buildings, none of your Colonel Stephen's tin huts, yet a track plan that is unusually and gratifyingly economical and compact, both length and width wise, so should not really require compression in 4mil. Perfect BLT, in other words. 

 

*an acronym I've just made up. It stands for Period of Main Interest.  Each subject has a POMI or sometimes more than one.  It equates to the period in which, for a variety of reasons, I favour for the setting of a layout. For instance, with matters Great Eastern in Norfolk, it's c.1905, for Kemp Town it would be c.1905-6, for IWCR it would be c.1900-1901, for Central Division of the the NER it would be c.1895-1900, for SE&CR c.1905-1910, for Catterick Camp Railway c.1916-1921, for GWR subjects both c.1900-1904 and 1911-1914, Barnstaple Town c.1907-1914 etc, etc.    

 

**I've nothing against cliché subjects, but I find that you have to have some irresistible primordial urge to do so in order to model a subject that is well-trodden. My cliché dream project is the South Devon mainline in the '30s. That speaks to me of my childhood on Devon's preserved lines. To other cliché subjects e.g. Settle & Carlisle, I have gained immunity.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 27, 2020 by Edwardian
spelling!