“FLIGHTS OF WHIMSY”

[Nearholmer]

Competent is Mr Northroader, so it might look it, but almost certainly isn't.

 

Artisanal is, I believe, the fashionable word for things that are very sound, if a bit rough around the edges.

[Northroader]

Well, there’s other layouts scattered around the loft it can  be used on. The new job must be packed full of funny little bits I won’t be able to grasp their functions, and there’s no cutout to pop out with a nice clatter, but it’s MADE IN THE UK, just like the old one. Should I get the missus to knit a cosy to fit round it?

[Northroader]

And the first primitive creatures crawled out of the swamp on to dry land for the first time, 

 

so they could play with their model Railway 

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1269694906802103&id=100012848175004&m_entstream_source=feed_mobile

Edited June 26, 2023 by Northroader

[Mikkel]

Now that's intriguing - but I think the link is broken?

[Northroader]

Sorry about that, it’s me trying to be high tech, and posting moving pictures (!!!!!) out of my Facebook account without a clue of how to do it, so back to ordinary picture posts, I’m afraid.

the good news is I’ve got the track down and having an engine circulating round.

 

As you can see, it’s a plain oval main line, but the main electrical difference is it’s now sectioned, basically upper left, lower left, and all right. I wanted to be able to accommodate two trains, and with the sections I can hold one on the main line at the left, and one in the long siding at the right, and manage to swap them round. Much better visually than having a single feed oval and two long sidings, as there’s longer stretches of single main line on its own. There’s a short siding upper right for a spare loco, and another lower left for wagon shunting.

the track is all done on copper clad sleepers, which holds the gauge better than plastic sleepers on very tight curves, and hand made points with better sleepering than the old setrak ones.

 

(sorry, loss of pictures)

Edited June 26, 2023 by Northroader

[Mikkel]

Very nice. I remain puzzled by the aperture in the middle - I assume it is not an operating well! 

 

That HR wagon looks delicious.

[Northroader]

It’s like the hole in a POLO mint, it adds to the flavour.

 

(You can’t suck a wagon)

Edited June 26, 2023 by Northroader

[Compound2632]

3 hours ago, Northroader said:

(You can’t suck a wagon)

 

Don't know about that:

 

[Northroader]

Wagon made in Earlestown, just down the road from where Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls were made, presumably from the bits punched out of the middle of Polos, transported in the special wagon you’ve illustrated. Thank you for that, Stephen, a cutout “P” and you can have a permanent job done.

[Northroader]

Scenic (ho ho) work in progress. First off ballast the tracks and adjacent area with horticultural sand. Swiped from my wife’s gardening stockpile, and a nice sort of, er, sandy colour. I think it helps to try and stick to pastel shades where possible, and the sleepers have a similar hue. Then the platform surfaces were done in N ballast, little dark grey plastic beads for a textured surface,  then overpainted with a pale brown/ grey mixture wash in pva paints. This carried over to all the bare surfaces, grotty cork leftovers mainly, with green washes, which will do until the grass starts to grow. The backscene also needed touching up with two small patch paints. Next step is an appraisal of what’s going to run on it.

(sorry, loss of picture)

 

Edited June 26, 2023 by Northroader

[Donw]

I was pondering on what would be in the hole in the middle seeing as you have a lake on the backscene. I suddenly had an image of head poking through. 

Most bizzare 

 

Looks good Don

[Nearholmer]

Are you saying that Northroader's layout is ruff?

[Northroader]

Many apologies, it’s shaping towards three months since the last post, so I’d best explain where we are. I suppose trying to run four threads is a bit over ambitious, and will lead to dead spaces. The track layout on the Whimsy line is to my liking, and the track performs satisfactorily. Every so often something whizzes round, last Sunday under the direction of granddaughter No. 2. I’ve bought a Hornby class 06 diesel going cheap at  the Uckfield Show a month or so ago, and the chassis is intended for more motive power, replacing an old Triang Nellie.

My thoughts are now turning to locos and rolling stock, and I want to get a bit more whimsical. I feel the way to achieve this is to up the scale a bit. If the trains are bit larger, the track will look a bit narrower. At the start of this thread I was saying that it will all be determined by how big the people are. If they’re bigger in relation to the trains, the trains will downsize proportionately, very similar to how Emett did his cartoons, although I don’t want to get too spindly. The Emett trains produced by Smallbrook Studio run on 00 track, and are to G scale (1:22.5) The problem here is that this scale is just too big to fit on a 4’x2’ baseboard, insofar as an oval run and buildings are concerned, so the scale needs to be smaller than this, but bigger than the present 0 scale.

 

(Sorry, loss of picture)

 

Here’s a comparison between an 0 scale model and a proposed 1:32 scale job.(I think this was the bygone gauge 1?) The engine is lifted from a drawing of an old 2’ gauge quarry Bagnall, but with a taller cab for the driver, and a longer chimney to match. The drawing was lifted from Roy Link’s book “Crowsnest Chronicles”, which also gave me an idea of this particular scale. There’s also an armature prepared for a model person, although I gather this scale is very popular with military modellers, so I’ll be looking for soldiers to demob. In addition I want to try and keep the Highland Railway look to the models, although this will be harder to do.

Christmas is coming up very fast, so I want to thank everyone for their interest and comments, and wish you and your families a Happy time, Peace and Goodwill to have in the New Year.

Bob.

Edited June 26, 2023 by Northroader

[Nearholmer]

Good idea!

 

You will probably shortly get caught-up in a 1:35 vs 1:32 dilemma, because there is a vast amount of material available for military modelling in 1:35, a lot of it not exclusively military, including some good non-military figures. 1:32, OTH, is popular for farm models, a hangover I think from when things were produced in that scale to match old G1, so figures from Britains etc work. The good thing about both scales is that general toy and model shops stock bits, which isnt the case with 1:43, except for cars.

 

Anyway, bit of a ramble, sorry!

 

You have a good christmas too, and let's all keep fingers and other bits crossed for 2022,

Kevin

[Donw]

00 is about 5/8ths inches  so at 1/32 thats 20inches quite a nice size.  Nice chunky locos  and as Kevin says the farm stuff is usually 1/32  so should be some nice animals. Sheep seem very appropriate.

 

Don

[Nearholmer]

One of the well known NG railway modellers of earlier years, but I'm blowed if I can remember which, built a nice, simple portable layout in 1/32 on 16.5mm track back in the 70s or very early 80s as a sort of deep in retirement relaxation from scratchbuilding in card at 16mm/ft. I recall seeing it at an exhibition, possibly Greenwich. IIRC his locos were based on Quarry Hunslets.

[cp409067]

+

Back in the last century - 1992 to be precise - I began building a layout ("Portpyn") in 1:34 scale (near as damn it 9mm/ft -  *) using 16.5mm track  (which scales 1ft 10ins). Whilst by no means finescale it was a very good experience and proved popular on the exhibition circuit.

 

Not being especially skilled I found using 16.5mm track, wheel sets, and proprietary loco chassis very convenient. What also made it possible was the availability and adaptability of figures in 1:32 and 1:35 scales. The choice of 1:34 fell within that scale range and resulted in track that was a scale 2ins too narrow for British (nominal) 2ft gauge. For me that was an acceptable compromise.

 

Later in the 1990s I built another representing 600mm gauge ("St Pierre et la Rue Perrin") in the same scale/gauge combination. This too proved successful with exhibition managers and their public.

 

The size and bulk of the models was very satisfying, especially when compared with "O16.5". I would encourage anyone tempted to work in 1:34 (or the similar scales of 1:35 or 1:32) to go ahead.

 

*    It is my understanding that 9mm/ft scale was first used in New Zealand after WWII to facilitate the modelling of local 3ft 6ins gauge prototypes on 32mm track.

 

 

CP

[Northroader]

Thanks for your post and thoughts, Christopher, I seem to remember Portpryn. Lovely to have you drop in on the thread.

 

edit: I just had to look it up. Isn’t it good!

 

Edited December 20, 2021 by Northroader

[Donw]

18 hours ago, cp409067 said:

+

Back in the last century - 1992 to be precise - I began building a layout ("Portpyn") in 1:34 scale (near as damn it 9mm/ft -  *) using 16.5mm track  (which scales 1ft 10ins). Whilst by no means finescale it was a very good experience and proved popular on the exhibition circuit.

 

Not being especially skilled I found using 16.5mm track, wheel sets, and proprietary loco chassis very convenient. What also made it possible was the availability and adaptability of figures in 1:32 and 1:35 scales. The choice of 1:34 fell within that scale range and resulted in track that was a scale 2ins too narrow for British (nominal) 2ft gauge. For me that was an acceptable compromise.

 

Later in the 1990s I built another representing 600mm gauge ("St Pierre et la Rue Perrin") in the same scale/gauge combination. This too proved successful with exhibition managers and their public.

 

The size and bulk of the models was very satisfying, especially when compared with "O16.5". I would encourage anyone tempted to work in 1:34 (or the similar scales of 1:35 or 1:32) to go ahead.

 

*    It is my understanding that 9mm/ft scale was first used in New Zealand after WWII to facilitate the modelling of local 3ft 6ins gauge prototypes on 32mm track.

 

 

CP

 

Hi Chris lovely to see you posting. Portpyn was/is? a beautiful layout. We have had some good chats about exhibiting and operating from the front. I do think our best idea was having the whole layout including the operator going up and down on hydraulics like some wurlitzer to cater for audience complaints about latout heights. Hope you are well.

 

Don 

[cp409067]

*

 

I am obliged for the most kind appreciation of "Portpyn" - it still exists.

 

Over the years it has appeared at some 42 exhibitions (including twice in France, once in Utrecht, and once in Leipzig). The most recent was during 2016 in the UK.

 

In the same 1:34 scale, "St Pierre et la Rue Perrin" has clocked up some 52 exhibitions including 5 cross-Channel appearances.

 

The relevance to this discussion is that my experience attests to the attraction and convenience of the choice of this sort of scale/gauge combination. From the market for 1:32 and 1:35 scales there are figures and other items (animals, milk churns, vehicles, etc), whilst use of track, chassis, and locomotive mechanisms intended for "OO" or "HO" permit the whole thing to work. In addition there are items intended for "O" scale (either somewhat large or anyway looking "right") that can be used.

 

I would also say that the resulting rolling stock has a pleasing bulk, is robust enough for repeated transport to and from exhibitions, and that a complete layout can be achieved for relatively modest cost.

 

 

CP

 

Edited December 22, 2021 by cp409067

[pete_mcfarlane]

I do admit to looking at some of those 1/35 railway and tram kits aimed at military modellers, and thinking that a nice narrow gauge layout is is distinct possibility. 

 

There's even a decent amount of standard gauge German stock out there like this: 

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/THU35901?result-token=fqtpU

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/THU35904?result-token=pMHHx

[Northroader]

I had this character turn up at Glenbuie today, going “Whaurs ma wee trainie?”, if I understood him correctly. Good to see him, as he turns out to be 1/32 sized, so now I know how big the loco cab needs to be. He’s from milliput on the .020 brass rod armature that appeared on a post up above.

 

Edited June 26, 2023 by Northroader

[Compound2632]

59 minutes ago, Northroader said:

I had this character turn up at Glenbuie today, going “Whaurs ma wee trainie?”, if I understood him correctly. 

 

Is that his sporran he's got stuffed down the front of his trousers?

 

(Asking for a friend...)

[Northroader]

He says “tell yer fren’ tae gan doon th’ gymnasium mair”.

[Not Jeremy]

Just found this great thread, I really like the look of what you are doing.

 

With regard to the big trains on small track idea, for other reasons I unearthed the attached earlier today.

 

It is 16mm "scale" and built by the late Peter Barnfield, maybe a theme to  explore?

 

 

I really like railcars myself - no running around required and they are invariably characterful!

 

Best Wishes

 

Simon

Edited January 30, 2022 by Not Jeremy