Regency Rails - Georgian, Williamine & Early Victorian Railways

[Mikkel]

5 hours ago, Edwardian said:

 

I'm browsing this on a phone, but if those are actual figures they are among the most convincing 4mm figures I have seen. Model-U watch out.

 

[magmouse]

1 hour ago, Fair Oak Junction said:

and I don't expect people to agree with me.

 

Sorry to disappoint - I completely agree with you. Some of the best* modelling is not the most highly accurate or detailed - think of the work of those early pioneers, George Iliffe Stokes and John Ahern. Their models were filled with atmosphere and a sense of place, even when they didn't represent a real place. Equally, we have probably all seen models that are highly accurate but somehow lack that crucial something.

 

For me, I am aiming for character in my models - what are the specific qualities of, say, a wagon that make it distinctively itself? Sometimes that needs careful attention to accuracy and detail, but sometimes those are not so important, I find.

 

Nick.

 

* 'best' being highly subjective of course - for me, it is a model that invokes another time and place.

[Northroader]

Agreed, paintings of early railways are always going to form a good basis for a model:

 

Edited February 11 by Northroader

[Dana Ashdown]

For anyone really interested in the historic background to Locomotion, I would suggest reading the following report from Michael Bailey and Peter Davison. Locomotion, as preserved, is largely a creation of an 1856/7 attempt at preservation using parts in store. There is very little of the original Locomotion in the preserved engine!

 

https://www.railwaymuseum.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-10/Pages from LOCOMOTION report part 1.pdf

 

https://www.railwaymuseum.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-10/Pages from LOCOMOTION report part 2.pdf

[Northroader]

Thanks for that, Dana, it’s a fascinating read. I was on the last year of my apprenticeship when we had the two locos, Locomotion and Derwent, into the works from off their plinths at Bank Top station. At the time the erecting shop had just had a rebuild of one half of one of the bays to take in main line diesels. All the pits had been filled in and a smooth concrete surface applied, then painted over green with lines, so that it looked almost like a tennis court. The first occupants were these two locos plonked down in the middle, looking very incongruous.

A lot of the woodwork was replaced, and there was one story of replacement bolts being needed for some work. They thought a rather antique finish was needed, so the job was given to one blacksmith well known for his rough work, without telling him what they were for. The later careful archaeological approach wasn’t at that time being applied, it was more just tittivating the engines up.

[phil_sutters]

Andrew Stadden has other ideas about Victorian loco crews' head gear. As a sculptor of highly accurate military models, I expect he did a spot of research before modelling these.

https://www.acstadden.co.uk/product-page/oo11-victorian-enginemen

Edited February 16 by phil_sutters