The Night Mail

[Happy Hippo]

As an aside, Ross Pochin's son lived in Broseley.

 

He carried on the tradition and some of his beautiful models of the LNWR in EM are now in the care of Telford MRG.

[Dave Hunt]

3 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

Despite all the shiny bits on GWR nameplates, some chimney tops, safety valve covers, name and most numberplates, to the best of my knowledge, no GWR engine ever had a Copper Nob.

 

What is not generally known is that some Midland engines had copper chimney tops and that one of them runs on a well-known layout in France, namely Lancaster Green Ayre. They were the American Baldwin moguls, about which I had heard rumours concerning such chimneys that I discounted but when I once mentioned it to David Tee he promptly put me right. Someone he knew, whose name I'm afraid escapes me now, who was around in later Midland days had been told that the locomotives had copper chimney tops but didn't at first believe it so he climbed on one when it was stored out of use at Lancaster and scraped away the black paint. Underneath was bright copper.

 

So considering that your model is based on the premise that it was still running in 1923 because it was a favourite of the shed staff who kept it going a long time after it should have been withdrawn, Jamie, you could show how much attention was lavished on it by giving it a copper top. That would generate a few comments!  

 

Dave

[jamie92208]

49 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

What is not generally known is that some Midland engines had copper chimney tops and that one of them runs on a well-known layout in France, namely Lancaster Green Ayre. They were the American Baldwin moguls, about which I had heard rumours concerning such chimneys that I discounted but when I once mentioned it to David Tee he promptly put me right. Someone he knew, whose name I'm afraid escapes me now, who was around in later Midland days had been told that the locomotives had copper chimney tops but didn't at first believe it so he climbed on one when it was stored out of use at Lancaster and scraped away the black paint. Underneath was bright copper.

 

So considering that your model is based on the premise that it was still running in 1923 because it was a favourite of the shed staff who kept it going a long time after it should have been withdrawn, Jamie, you could show how much attention was lavished on it by giving it a copper top. That would generate a few comments!  

 

Dave

Well as the chimbley is a brass turning that should be quite easy.  There is a photo of mine at Lancaster.

 

Jamie

[Happy Hippo]

An early start doing 'stuff' has resulted in what for me is a prolonged absence from these pages!

 

Unfortunately for the rest of you, I'm now free for a few moments before I go outside.

 

The weather being rather odd today with burst of pleasant sunshine, interrupted by some combination of snow and hail.

 

This mornings eforts have been partially rail orientated with an, unusually for me, drafting up of a baseboard prior to assembling it.

 

The normal procedure is to cut the top to size and then add sides, ends and cross braces to suit.  The finished article being dropped on a separate frame and legs.

 

This system works well when you have a van to get all the stuff to a show, but when it has to fit in the car, and it is going to by a ply and foam board with the legs built in as folding units, one has to be a little bit on the careful side.

 

This drafting was interrupted by trips to the garden to deal with horticultural matters and the manufacture of some wasp traps.  the requested holes in the bottle of glass wine bottles was not successful so some plastic substitutes were made up from some plastic Tonic Water bottles.

 

Back on the board sage, I've decided that the cassette table will be the four legged beast, as with the folding top it is also the most complex to make.  the rest will have a pair of legs at one end and will piggy back on the next one along:  A not uncommon approach to base board construction.  This will also be the heaviest of the boards as it will be a ply top rather than foam... Which allows the cassettes to slid around; Something they would not do very well on a softer foam surface.

 

I have come to the conclusion that the most difficult bit will be ensuring the cassettes and the rail tops align perfectly.

 

I may make life a little simpler and make all the boards rectangular!

 

Edited April 12, 2021 by Happy Hippo

[simontaylor484]

I have seen various ways of putting holes in glass bottles. The most effective was a diamond tipped holesaw.

I have also seen it done with a soldering iron but the bottle had been prescored with a tile score.

 

Tops can be cut off using string wrapped round the part of bottle where you want it cutting impregnate the string with lighter fluid or the like

[Stubby47]

Apropos nothing else at all, this evening sees the recommencement of the Walking Football sessions, on the pitch in St Agnes.  One hopes the cold weather does not deteriorate into snow or hail, or even rain. At the moment we are having a mix of grey clouds & bright sunshine.

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

manufacture of some wasp traps

Is that so you can rehome them to areas devoid of wasps. I have learned recently that gardeners should let wasps fly freely as they play an important role in plant fertilisation and pest control. I did previously think they had evolved just to annoy humans. 

[simontaylor484]

Jamie the Tony Bond referred to on the previous page did he used to live in the lodge house at Whitwood Cemetery.

[simontaylor484]

Finally got the lego crocodile built now to design and build a display case. I do have some reclaimed timber

Edited April 12, 2021 by simontaylor484

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, Tony_S said:

Is that so you can rehome them to areas devoid of wasps. I have learned recently that gardeners should let wasps fly freely as they play an important role in plant fertilisation and pest control. I did previously think they had evolved just to annoy humans. 

Nyda is spheksophobic, wasps really freak her out.  We put the traps around the house rather than in the garden.

[PhilJ W]

2 hours ago, Tony_S said:

Is that so you can rehome them to areas devoid of wasps. I have learned recently that gardeners should let wasps fly freely as they play an important role in plant fertilisation and pest control. I did previously think they had evolved just to annoy humans. 

Wasps can be beneficial in many ways, some species of wasp can and do kill pests but some should be gotten rid of especially the Chinese hornets that have appeared in this country as they can devastate bee hives. Hornets and wasps are of the same family (vespidae) and their nearest relatives in the insect world are ants.

[PhilJ W]

Further to the above, apparently ants cannot fart. So some ant killers work by making gas build up in their bodies until they explode. You don't see bits of detonated ant laying around because they are cannibals. Just as well that hippo's can fart then, we don't want exploding hippo's do we?

[polybear]

Could get expensive......

 

https://auctions.dreweatts.com/auctions/7783/drewea1-10214/?utm_source=Transport14305&utm_medium=advert&utm_campaign=ModelEngineerEmail&categoryCode=MOD&orderBy=lowEstimate%2ChighEstimate%2CsequenceNumber&page=3&pageSize=60

 

This is rather nice....click on each photo a couple of times will show you just how nice:

 

https://auctions.dreweatts.com/auctions/7783/drewea1-10214/lot-details/f8fa46c6-2665-4469-9f30-acd4010ade3d

 

A lot of cake though....

[pH]

39 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Just as well that hippo's can fart then, we don't want exploding hippo's do we?

The mind absolutely boggles!!

[simontaylor484]

10 minutes ago, polybear said:

Could get expensive......

 

https://auctions.dreweatts.com/auctions/7783/drewea1-10214/?utm_source=Transport14305&utm_medium=advert&utm_campaign=ModelEngineerEmail&categoryCode=MOD&orderBy=lowEstimate%2ChighEstimate%2CsequenceNumber&page=3&pageSize=60

 

This is rather nice....click on each photo a couple of times will show you just how nice:

 

https://auctions.dreweatts.com/auctions/7783/drewea1-10214/lot-details/f8fa46c6-2665-4469-9f30-acd4010ade3d

 

A lot of cake though....

It's not N gauge so it won't fit on my layout but it's a lovely example of what a skilled modeller/model engineer can make 

[Happy Hippo]

16 minutes ago, polybear said:

Could get expensive......

 

https://auctions.dreweatts.com/auctions/7783/drewea1-10214/?utm_source=Transport14305&utm_medium=advert&utm_campaign=ModelEngineerEmail&categoryCode=MOD&orderBy=lowEstimate%2ChighEstimate%2CsequenceNumber&page=3&pageSize=60

 

This is rather nice....click on each photo a couple of times will show you just how nice:

 

https://auctions.dreweatts.com/auctions/7783/drewea1-10214/lot-details/f8fa46c6-2665-4469-9f30-acd4010ade3d

 

A lot of cake though....

I suspect a lot of the G1 live steamers are from the Aster/Fulgarex stable.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

14 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

I suspect a lot of the G1 live steamers are from the Aster/Fulgarex stable.

I think they have quite a few of those Aster Schools Class, for some odd reason they seem to be the most common Asters in circulation.

 

They have got quite a few interesting things in it, like the Marklin for Bassett Lowke Stanier 2-6-4 (priced far to low, I presume they don't know what it is), and the probably Chadburns of Sheffield Birmingham dribbler.

Edited April 12, 2021 by Florence Locomotive Works

[New Haven Neil]

The Aster Schools always used to be considered a starter loco in G1 live steam - but the arrival of cheaper Accucraft (who ironically are now working with Aster) locos changed that.

[simontaylor484]

The rail gun is exquisite in my opinion i would love to.have one like that it costs a lot more than my leg o crocodile

[jamie92208]

5 hours ago, simontaylor484 said:

Jamie the Tony Bond referred to on the previous page did he used to live in the lodge house at Whitwood Cemetery.

Yes Tony used to live there but moved to Altofts. He was a very close friend and a fine modeller. Sadly no longer with us. However I have several locos that he built for me. Was head of parks and cemetries for the eadtern side of Wakefield.

5 hours ago, simontaylor484 said:

Finally got the lego crocodile built now to design and build a display case. I do have some reclaimed timber

Photo please.

 

Jamie

[Dave Hunt]

2 hours ago, polybear said:

Could get expensive......

 

https://auctions.dreweatts.com/auctions/7783/drewea1-10214/?utm_source=Transport14305&utm_medium=advert&utm_campaign=ModelEngineerEmail&categoryCode=MOD&orderBy=lowEstimate%2ChighEstimate%2CsequenceNumber&page=3&pageSize=60

 

This is rather nice....click on each photo a couple of times will show you just how nice:

 

https://auctions.dreweatts.com/auctions/7783/drewea1-10214/lot-details/f8fa46c6-2665-4469-9f30-acd4010ade3d

 

A lot of cake though....

 

Mike Price was IIRC one of the promoters of the Holiday Haunts OF layout that featured in quite a few exhibitions some years ago.

 

Dave

[simontaylor484]

He was a civilian instructor in the Air Cadets when I was in in the early 90s just after his first bout of Cancer. I remember him coming hiking with us once and him putting his dog in his rucksack after a bit the dogs head was poking out over his shoulder .

I.never realised he was a railway modeller as well he was a really nice friendly bloke it was a shame when the cancer came back.

 

Photos of the Croc will be done tomorrow 

[simontaylor484]

As a measure of Tony for those who didnt know him i will relate this little tale 

 

In cadets we used to go to Bethesda North Wales for a couple of weekends a year we were split into 2 groups this day to go up the Carneddi our group with Tony were to go up Carnedd Daffyd walk round via the Air crash remains and the ridge on to Carnedd Llewellyn and down whilst the other group went the other way. Anyway we ended up with typical Welsh liquid sunshine and hail blowing horizontally it made your eyes sting and water you liked like you were crying. Anyway we came across this guy and his young daughter improperly dressed and using an AA road map. Tony went to this guy and persuaded him to come down with us because the results could quite well have been fatal as we had to navigate off the summit's on bearings due to very low visibility. 

 

 

[Dave Hunt]

A friend of mine lives in Culgaith and used to be on the Penrith Mountain Rescue Team. I was out walking on Cross Fell with him one day when the weather unexpectedly turned nasty, as it is want to do up there, so we got our wet weather gear out of our backpacks and turned for home. A short time later there appeared out of the murk a young couple in tee shirts, shorts and trainers, absolutely soaked and shivering, asking which way it was to where they had left their car (they had been heading in completely the wrong direction). Fortunately we both had space blankets in our packs so we wrapped them up, got them into the lee of a wall and Mike phoned the team to come and get them. Luckily they were OK but it could so easily have turned out very differently.

 

Dave

[Mike Bellamy]

35 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

As a measure of Tony for those who didnt know him i will relate this little tale 

 

I knew Tony from his visits to the 7mm Narrow Gauge Association exhibitions at Burton upon Trent where I was part of the organising team and also helped on EDM Models trade stand - he was usually with Ray Clasper and they both entered the modelling competitions each year and most years went home with a prize or two.