Railway Modelling Crimes

[Pacific231G]

3 hours ago, eastglosmog said:

There was a major trade in hay carried by Thames barges, see here: https://knowyourlondon.wordpress.com/2016/06/20/hay-barges-on-the-thames/

 

Thanks Alan. That article is fascinating, especially the bit about working sailing barges above London Bridge. That did lead me to wonder whether, in Britain, hay as a large volume low value cargo tended to be shipped by canal rather than by rail. 

Going a bit OT (alright quite a lot but this isn't going to make a topic) )

I did also find this photo of the Whitechapel Hay Market during its final years in the 1920s. Note the GWR lorry in the foreground though, like the trams  it may have just been passing. 

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2017/oct/03/london-markets-100-years-ago-archives-in-pictures#img-5

 

Having been taught at school that "the railway replaced the horse"  it came as quite a surprise to discover the effect that the development of railways had on the number of working horses in Britain with of course a concentration in large cities.  There are Haymarkets or Haymarket Streets in London's West End, Twickenham, Edinburgh (giving its name to a station) Liverpool, Bury, Glasgow and Manchester and doubtless others as well (though it's not the derivation of  Hay on Wye's name)  

 

I suspect that, in smaller towns, the trading of hay was just another aspect of the weekly market and possibly quite localised. Nevertheless, if your BLT is serving a market town then the odd wagonload of hay, covered by tarpaulin of course,  probably wouldn't  be amiss.  Baled hay was carried in both open wagons and vans and even on flat wagons. What has surprised me was to find that even now it can be a siginificant cargo for railways in countries including the US and France. In 1976, a drought in France led to a massive movement of hay often requiring the reopening of long disused local goods yards  many in closed stations (the French tend not to dismantle such yards for many years after closure)  and special trains of hay have been run during droughts as recently as 2017.

 

 

 

 

Edited April 5, 2020 by Pacific231G

[IWCR]

There are photos of Hay wagons in Ireland made from old carriages, just take the seats out and the roof off.

Windows, doors and partitions just left in place. Potential interesting model?

 

Pete 

[The Johnster]

On 04/04/2020 at 00:10, melmerby said:

It's a Gostude, L@@K, Kit built, Hornby coach in original condition.

I've got 3 of them, not from that source, as a miner's workman's.  The last GW clerestories were used in this way between Glyncorrwg and North Rhondda only a few miles as the crow flies from the real location of my imaginary layout, Cwmdimbath.  I replaced the buffers, fitted interiors, rewheeled them with Bachmann 14mm coach wheels, and glazed the clerestory lights.  The bogies, acceptable models of BR B1s considering their dating back 60 years, have been converted to ersatz Dean 8'6" by cutting out the tie bars and gluing footsteps to them.  Make the footsteps from Sainsbury's cafe or Burger King coffee stirrers, also available at your local friendly motorway services after the plague, cut in half lengthways and trimmed to correct length, same as the bogie frame.  Cut out rebates for the axleboxes and superglue to the bogie frame at correct height (judge this by eye from photos using the axleboxes as a guide).

[Baby Deltic]

[MrWolf]

On ‎05‎/‎04‎/‎2020 at 22:35, The Johnster said:

I've got 3 of them, not from that source, as a miner's workman's.  The last GW clerestories were used in this way between Glyncorrwg and North Rhondda only a few miles as the crow flies from the real location of my imaginary layout, Cwmdimbath.  I replaced the buffers, fitted interiors, rewheeled them with Bachmann 14mm coach wheels, and glazed the clerestory lights.  The bogies, acceptable models of BR B1s considering their dating back 60 years, have been converted to ersatz Dean 8'6" by cutting out the tie bars and gluing footsteps to them.  Make the footsteps from Sainsbury's cafe or Burger King coffee stirrers, also available at your local friendly motorway services after the plague, cut in half lengthways and trimmed to correct length, same as the bogie frame.  Cut out rebates for the axleboxes and superglue to the bogie frame at correct height (judge this by eye from photos using the axleboxes as a guide).

They're still some of the most useful coaches for bashing into representations of actual prototypes. I cut and shut them, fit Dean bogies, detail and paint them. The panelling is really well moulded, considering that the moulds are approaching 60 years old. Despite the popularity of the GWR with modellers, we are no longer well served with kits for wagons and coaches, which is probably why old K's and D&S kits are fetching daft money on eBay. There are plenty of these about in rough condition for not much money. I can't justify spending a fortune on etched kits and as with some of my other interests, I like bringing things back from the dead!

[The Johnster]

Exactly.  The old Triang shorty clerestories are never going to be finescale anything, but with a bit of working up can be made passable.  To my surprise the original Triang wheels ran on my code 100 Peco Streamline track and turnouts, but I replaced them anyway as I don't like plastic wheels.  The panelling is superb, and captures the character of these coaches brilliantly, and as you say the tooling is holding up well for it's 58 years in use.  

 

I think Triang missed a trick in never producing these in the fully lined Dean/Churchward livery to match Lord of the Isles, though I can see why it might have pushed the price up unacceptably.  The later gangwayed clerestories had this, but as the panelling was left off and 'suggested' by the printed lining it might have actually been better to model these coaches in their later form when many had the panelling plated over, another trick missed.  

 

GW/WR modellers are not well served with kits, but current RTR coaching stock is better than it's ever been.  There as still big gaps, though, and the biggest so far as I am concerned is any auto trailer that pre-dated the A28; a plethora of panelled and matchboard trailers including some compartment types. Hopefully Dapol will one day put their ex-Lionheart Diagram N through the 4mm shrink ray.  I have a couple of K's A31 whitemetal bodied kits which can be worked up with interiors but are a bit basic, not to mention a bit heavy; my Bachmann 4575s are just able to manage 2 of them!  We are probably best off for 'brown' vehicles, with RTR Siphons and Parkside Fruit D and Python.

[MrWolf]

The first coaches I ever had were 20 year old Triang clerestories, detailing them is what got me into modelling. I've also got an old K's A31, it's in the queue for surgery. As for the weight, I'm glad I used 9mm ply for my layout boards! I think the only brown vehicles you can't get new are syphons C and F. An old K's plastic syphon F just made £41 on flea bay. Don't get me started on the demise of the likes of Coopercraft. You could do a lot with them once you had binned the wheels.

[Steamport Southport]

On 05/04/2020 at 09:36, melmerby said:

The GWR only ever had 12 dedicated Provender wagons (Q1), but is there any reason why any other open wagon couldn't be used?

The GWR was a large user of horses for local cartage and 12 wagons would hardly seem enough.

N.B. the GWR also had 6 Manure wagons!

 

Like this you mean?

 

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/97672-pragmatic-pre-grouping-mikkels-workbench/page/33/&tab=comments#comment-2621839

 

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/79259-gwr-provender-wagon-loads/

 

 

 

Jason

[muddy water]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/293463214527
 

just found this Arriva Trains Wales coach. Look like a RFM conversion. Not to sure about the plaster of Paris sides and felt tip pen windows. Might have a good body underneath if soaked for awhile!

[MrWolf]

6 hours ago, muddy water said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/293463214527
 

just found this Arriva Trains Wales coach. Look like a RFM conversion. Not to sure about the plaster of Paris sides and felt tip pen windows. Might have a good body underneath if soaked for awhile!

I wonder if it's possible to un see something?

Those pictures should put anyone off taking drugs...

[boxbrownie]

6 hours ago, muddy water said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/293463214527
 

just found this Arriva Trains Wales coach. Look like a RFM conversion. Not to sure about the plaster of Paris sides and felt tip pen windows. Might have a good body underneath if soaked for awhile!

WTF?

 

April 1st....was it posted then?

[muddy water]

It is still available if you want to do a dissection! (Not mine , before you ask!)

[Baby Deltic]

[PatB]

The old Ebay Madness thread seems to have disappeared whilst I've been away from RMWeb, but I couldn't not post this somewhere. 

Edited July 4, 2020 by PatB

[Ruffnut Thorston]

Hi.

 

The eBay madness thread is still available...

 

There is a sub-fourum to 'Wheeltappers', at the top of the page. "Ebay Topics".

 

Link to eBay madness...

 

 

 

[F-UnitMad]

4 hours ago, PatB said:

The old Ebay Madness thread seems to have disappeared whilst I've been away from RMWeb, but I couldn't not post this somewhere. 

The words "wind up" in the description are very apt..!!

[Hroth]

9 hours ago, PatB said:

The old Ebay Madness thread seems to have disappeared whilst I've been away from RMWeb, but I couldn't not post this somewhere. 

 

1920s?  It looks like a mid 50s Hornby O gauge loco, tinplate at its last gasp.  I got one of those, boxed, in excellent condition, with track and goods wagons for about 40 quid, inc delivery a couple of years ago... 

[GeoffAlan]

On 14/02/2020 at 15:34, F-UnitMad said:

I think my worst modelling crime is this, where I've totally ignored all the standard rules about track laying, and broken the laws that state track must be laid level, smooth, and free of kinks:-

 

The other times I have committed this crime will also be taken as evidence...

 

I've seen far worse in 1:1 scale videos!

[J. S. Bach]

33 minutes ago, GeoffAlan said:

I think my worst modelling crime is this, where I've totally ignored all the standard rules about track laying, and broken the laws that state track must be laid level, smooth, and free of kinks:

The really amazing thing about the first (only?) video is not the lack of any derailments but that the cars stayed coupled!

Edited July 4, 2020 by J. S. Bach

[F-UnitMad]

30 minutes ago, GeoffAlan said:

I've seen far worse in 1:1 scale videos!

Oh definitely - I've not really come close to how bad some US Short Line track could get, or the real "rock'n'roll" swaying that the trains can get up to - because models aren't built like the real thing; they don't have the mass, and crucially, the springing,to copy the real thing exactly.

 

4 minutes ago, J. S. Bach said:

The really amazing thing about the first (only?) video is not the lack of any derailments but that the cars stayed coupled!

The US Railroads weren't daft, adopting the buckeye coupler as standard. What is perhaps more surprising - and I didn't know this until recently - was that it was only adopted as standard when the US Government banned the link-&-pin coupler in 1900, although I should think the buckeye was in widespread use way before then.

One day someone will come up with the idea of adding a long curved iron bar under it, and putting massive magnets under the track to uncouple with, thus the real thing will finally look like the Kadee.... 

[Budgie]

3 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

The really amazing thing about the first (only?) video is not the lack of any derailments but that the cars stayed coupled!

 

There's something wrong with your Chester, SC, banner at the bottom of your sig. It tells me that the temperature there is 0 C, which is NA F. I know that Fahrenheit is naff these days, but I'm not sure that is what was meant here.

[Pacific231G]

On 13/04/2020 at 12:47, muddy water said:

It is still available if you want to do a dissection! (Not mine , before you ask!)

Rather akin to this perhaps?

 

(and yes I do know what it is and who put it here.)

 

Edited July 5, 2020 by Pacific231G

[Pacific231G]

On 14/02/2020 at 10:25, t-b-g said:

 

I will take that!

 

Of course it may just be that the visit of one of the locos to Gorton in 1907 for it to be fitted with push pull gear especially for a trial working the Grandborough Junction to Verney Junction autotrain just never got recorded in the history books.

 

As the LD&ECR number plate had just been removed and the GCR one not fitted yet, the photo may just have captured a trial working of this little known and short lived experiment. Shortly after, the gear was removed and the loco returned to Warsop sidings where it resumed its duties sorting coal traffic from the local collieries.

 

 

A great deal about the GCR lines in that area seems to have escaped the history books! I've looked in vain for any trace of the line between Grandborough Rd, and Verney Jct. but it must have existed because Peter Denny modelled it!

(BTW where IS the cathedral in Buckingham?)

Edited July 5, 2020 by Pacific231G

[t-b-g]

21 minutes ago, Pacific231G said:

A great deal about the GCR lines in that area seems to have escaped the history books! I've looked in vain for any trace of the line between Grandborough Rd, and Verney Jct. but it must have existed because Peter Denny modelled it!

(BTW where IS the cathedral in Buckingham?)

 

Would it be too flippant to say "It is on the backscene just behind the station overall roof"?

[J. S. Bach]

On 04/07/2020 at 15:11, Budgie said:

There's something wrong with your Chester, SC, banner at the bottom of your sig. It tells me that the temperature there is 0 C, which is NA F. I know that Fahrenheit is naff these days, but I'm not sure that is what was meant here.

Hmmm, I do not see any reference to the local temperature when I look at one of my posts.

EDIT: I just went to my profile and there is no reference/link to any weather service listed. There was a link sometime back (Weather Underground) but I removed that.

Edited July 6, 2020 by J. S. Bach