Jump to content
 

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


Recommended Posts

  • RMweb Premium

Another E.B.Wilson well tank has just arrived from the workshop after receiving a new coat of paint and various extra fitments.  I'm not going to add number plates or any sign of ownership to the E.B.Wilson engines, but they will be getting nameplates once I've had an explore of Greek mythology to find some suitable names.

 

kAvbAiW.jpg

 

The first E.B. Wilson well tank to arrive which you've already seen, but I also wanted to include a better picture of that unusual 2nd class coach.  Most of these models date from the TS2006 version of the simulator so they're simple models, but still manage to capture the essential qualities of these 1850s coaches.

 

VeQi9bl.jpg

 

The track gang is busy at work.  A bit of a pick and mix of workman figures from various content makers and versions of the simulator.

 

XfMmKe6.jpg

 

The ballasting work and general tidying up from yesterday.  Even though I'd done a lot of tidying up work along this section and spent quite a while doing it when I came back to look at it just now I could still see things that needed fixing.  On a big project like this one I suppose that's only to be expected.

 

AD5MiEg.jpg

 

J2YZ1nW.jpg

  • Like 7
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

E.B. Wilson well tank 'ARETE'.   Arete is the spirit of virtue, excellence, goodness, and valour in Greek mythology so I thought that was a good name to give an engine.

  I still need to hunt out a name for Arete's sister engine though, but at least I now have the nameplate artwork as well as the positioning settings for the nameplate attachment points figured out.  Working out the attachment points took me ages though, partly because I was out of practice and partly because my brain kept going sleepy on me.  The nameplate itself is drawn on an invisible texture that's attached to a small flat mesh and it's immensely useful for adding things like numberplates and nameplates to a digital model engine that doesn't have them.

 

EahhDYZ.jpg

 

I did a test run to Perranwell.  Basically all is good, but I did find two trackwork black spots where I'm going to have to do some further adjusting.  The alignment over the new Ringwell viaduct is spot on though so now I can go ahead and do all the final finishing work to make it all look pretty.

 

Penwithers viaduct.

i7XTXSd.jpg

 

A newly ballasted section of the line.

clKIHyo.jpg

 

Carnon viaduct.

0Fy5tGg.jpg

 

  • Like 3
  • Craftsmanship/clever 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

9ApwwVm.jpg

 

The second well tank is now named.  'Arke' was the messenger of the Titans, - so again another engine appropriate name to my way of thinking.  I don't think I need any more E.B.Wilson well tanks on the layout (Yes you do!).  In the overall scheme of things had they existed on the Broad Gauge of the 1880s they would have been a smaller and more lightweight engine than most Broad Gauge engines, so while useful enough for lighter tasks they couldn't have handled any of the heavier duties a Cornish engine might be expected to do.  (You could always double head them)

Edited by Annie
can't spell for toffee
  • Like 6
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Ringwell viaduct done and dusted.  Perran is the next one on the list.

All I've done with Ringwell village is free it from all the trees that were swallowing it up.  It's a bit larger than it should be, but all the buildings are appropriate for the 19th century so I'm going to leave it as it is.

 

7QNbH0D.jpg

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

lGWgE3J.jpg

 

I've just purchased a digital copy of this book.  I could have got a printed one, but I'm not good with printed books since they always ended up tangled up in my bed somewhere and I can't find them.

Seems to me that this an essential book to have if I'm going to be working on a Cornwall Railway layout.

  • Like 1
  • Informative/Useful 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Sparnick Tunnel west portal.  This was the site of one of the track blackspots I found yesterday.  Bad Trainz folk when they get sent to hell have to level out tunnels and then attach and accurately level the trackwork attached to them for all eternity.  It's a seriously annoying task to do because the tunnels splines want to jump around and change position whenever the attempt is made to adjust them.  If the tunnel is out of level it will pull the trackwork up or down and cause a bump in it so it's one of those rotten jobs that has to be done right.  I got there in the end though and the trackwork away from the tunnel is nice and level now.

The occupation bridge is going to get changed for a Brunel timber one, but not today because I've had enough of installing bridges for one day.

 

aIT6Vda.jpg

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

The last 'Bogie' class 4-4-0ST 'Horace' was withdrawn in December 1880 so I had a tinker about with the 1850s version I had in my digital trainset box and made its livery a bit more plain green and sober.  Yes I know it should at least have a weatherboard, but all the ones I've got aren't wide enough.

 

vbli8IP.jpg

 

And just to horrify you all with a vision of the future that might have been. 

 

vCRYB0e.jpg

 

Paul is working on a convertible saddle tank for me using his 94xx model as a basis so this is a WIP stage on the way to check out the chassis and wheels & etc to see if they are Ok.

I'm hoping to end up with something close to this........  Most probably won't be finescale, but it should look the part.

 

QhLHilX.jpg

 

 

  • Like 6
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

I found some useful pictures of Newham station which look to have been taken during the early 1950s.  Lots of nice details which is pleasing as good photos of Broad Gauge era stations are hard to find.

 

Gvgj40K.jpg

 

V6vtrCq.jpg

 

KhtQA1L.jpg

  • Like 2
  • Informative/Useful 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

I have an 1850s model of 'Hercules' so I thought I'd update it by removing the wooden lagging on the boiler and generally giving its textures a tidy up.  All the surviving engines of the 1840s-1850s period were pretty much withdrawn en-masse in 1871, but if I adopt a rubberised time period and generally be vague about when that is I think I can get away with it.

 

TdCdNqt.jpg

  • Like 3
  • Craftsmanship/clever 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Testing driving skills against eggcups reminds me of one famous occasion in Canton dmu shed. A firms representative had called to demonstrate a forklift model we were interested in, and he did a show of closing a matchbox which had the tray pulled open, by using the forklift. The boys in the shed were fascinated by this, and worked on winding up the regular forklift driver to repeat the feat. I don’t know how he managed it, but the forklift ended up down in the inspection pit between the tracks in the shed.

  • Funny 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

I presently have two digital locomotives neither of which are what I wanted or asked for and are completely useless.  The maker is unresponsive to my requests for remedial work so  I'm giving the whole commissioning digital models thing the toss and I'll go back to how I've always done things.  Presently not very happy at all :ireful:

  • Friendly/supportive 4
Link to post
Share on other sites

Sorry to hear that. I have had very mixed experiences when requesting commissions, though mainly either positive or non-appearing rather than poor!

 

I am sure that you would have better luck with another collaborator.

 

In the hopes this might cheer you up, I found a B&W version of your picture ...

 

CD7D4B09-F8B4-4B2C-9D66-CC5FF9E41DEF.jpg.27ff2aaf1b349f204f11f3ed88605214.jpg

  • Like 4
  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Oh do like that 'old photo' James.  Definitely a cheer up.

 

I should really taken warning when I had the E.B.Wilson well tank converted to 7ft gauge.  Overall it's essentially Ok, but some details haven't been positioned symmetrically from side to side which I noticed as soon as I came to fit name plates to the engines.  It's fairly plain the well tanks were done in a rush with a 'that'll do' attitude, but because they are fairly simple models they haven't really suffered for it.  As you well know I spend ages on my own goods wagon models making sure everything fits together as it should so it's disappointing to pay someone who is supposed to be a professional digital model maker money and get careless work given to me in exchange.

 

But on a good note ballasting has now proceeded further and is now complete to just past Perranwell station.  Along the way I've done all manner of small adjustments and fixes at Perranwell as well with just the horrible signal box left to deal with.

  • Friendly/supportive 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Annie, I'm lurking, open mouthed at your patience in back dating and modifying your layout. Especially the forestry clearance. ..... Have you been taking notes of the Rain Forest clearances???

Never having delved into the virtual world, may I ask what happened on screen when you over-ran the buffers? Did your loco just disappear 'cos it wasn't allowed off-track?

 

Also what cargo was transported in the covered wagons? I don't recall seeing a picture of the wagon cover style.

Edited by DonB
Spelin!
  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

On average Don I've been removing two trees out of every three out in the open countryside since the original layout builder went completely nuts and thickly planted trees everywhere even hiding entire towns away under the tree cover.  Some trees were so tightly packed that when I started deleting them I thought the battery in my cordless mouse had gone flat because nothing seemed to happening.  Along the line itself the trees and shrubs formed a thick wall right up to the boundary fences and all over the embankments which never would have been permitted at any time on the old railways.

 

A 'before' picture along the line.

s1xT4zn.jpg

 

The same place (more or less) 'after' rainforest clearance.  The cows were very grateful because they'd been lost in the forest for ages.

XAmPyhj.jpg

 

Trainz has a number of setting for derailments ranging from 'realistic' to 'arcade'.  I usually use the 'arcade' setting so an engine will usually end up gently pirouetting on one of it buffers with a big orange 'X' above it.  After about 30 seconds have passed it will fade out and it's possible to continue.  With TS2012 I have to 'walk' back to the shed to get another engine provided one is actually available, but in the latest version of the simulator I can call up the rolling stock menu and place another engine on the line.

 

The wagons are called 'utility wagons' Don and they were used in the same way as a goods van and were used to carry just about anything that the goods vans of a later era would carry.  I'm not really sure when they stopped being used by the old railway companies, but they always seemed to me to be a reasonably practical solution to carry a load that needed to be kept dry, but might have to be handled using a good shed's hand crane to either load or unload the wagon.

 

 

 

 

 

  • Like 3
  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Just purchased this book for Kindle, but it can be read on a PC as well using the Kindle app.  Pen & Sword offer quite a few of their books in a digital format so I'll be looking more closely at their catalogue.

Nice useful little book, - covers quite a few subjects to do with the early railways, - not to any great depth, but certainly enough to give pointers to find out more information.  Has some early plans/drawings too which are always of interest to me.

 

UfMjoWk.jpg

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Must be book buying day.  This I have wanted for a while now.  Also for Kindle since printed books aren't a lot of use to me.  I have dusty shelves full of books in my room so I certainly don't want to increase their numbers.

 

qXUBbia.jpg

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

wgXcJsk.jpg

 

Not fastidiously correct by any means, but considerably better than what was there before.  All assembled in my usual fashion from pieces not meant to fit together and retextured to look something like they are supposed to.

The awful excuse for a signal box that came with the original layout download annoyed me every time I looked at it so once the trackwork ballasting reached Perranwell it was definitely time to do something about it.

Unfortunately I couldn't find anything suitable for the signal box stairs except that stone staircase so it will have to do for now.  The station building is borrowed from Liskeard and is a placeholder until I sort out making something closer in appearance to Perranwell's station building. 

Edited by Annie
can't spell for toffee
  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

A Dutch forum member over on NGRM has been telling me about the Holland Railway (1839-1866) which was laid to a Broad Gauge of 1950mm (6ft 4 ¾).  The engines were very 'Patentee' like.  Unfortunately no photos are known to exist except for the photo I posted below.

 

1839hsm-longridge.jpg

 

A replica engine and train built in 1939 to celebrate the Centenary of Railways.

1939replica-1839.jpg

  • Like 4
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...