Tackeroo - The Cannock Chase Military Railway project

[Andy Y]

I'm looking forward to seeing it at an Exhibition soon.

 

Soon? Soon?

 

We don't do soon.

 

The project should be largely complete by next Spring ('cos Andy's agreed to take it to an event ) - we'll confirm the where and when a bit later.

 

However I don't really see it as typical exhibition fodder, it won't be a crowd-pleaser and the operational aspects won't keep goldfish happy. I guess it's a bit self-indulgent as it's something which interests us rather than designed to appeal to others. I think we'd be more likely to take it a suitable visitor centre or museum related to the content rather than a typical show.

[2ManySpams]

Makes a refreshing change to the usual BLT and TMD fodder that everyone seems to do by default (says he building a 7mm BLT).

[TonyA]

At the bottom of this post is a shot of Woolmer (now preserved in Longmoor Blue as part of the national collection) on a plinth at Longmoor...  Is this the correct livery for No92??  It has also been suggested to me that the livery could be plain Black which was adopted by the military on the narrow gauge lines in France.

 

 

Andy

 

From The Longmoor Military Railway Vol. Three, Woolmer was originally supplied in Prussian Blue livery. However all subsequent Longmoor locomotives were supplied in black and lined in red. By 1915, it is believed that all locomotives were black. I would suggest that lining was dropped in wartime.

 

The Longmoor blue now seen on Woolmer as preserved was a post-1945 livery.

 

Tony

[wagonbasher]

That is an excellent piece of data....   Even if plain Black is a bit boring!!

 

many thanks

 

Andy

[Dava]

Your use of ripped hanging basket liner for rough grass heathland is interesting & effective. Is it a natural product or synthetic like car carpet insulation? I've often used dried moss effectively.

 

Dava

[Andy Y]

There's a right old mixture in there, nylon fibres, natural hemp type materials, bits of string etc etc hence cutting it right back to provide a foundation rather than anything which will be visible when finished.

[TheSignalEngineer]

Will be following developments with interest as I first visited the camp area about 25 years ago and later rode down the track on an old touring bike.

[wagonbasher]

I post this for 2 many spams..  we had a converstation about A C Staddens figures... 

 

In looking at photos of Brocton camp and other WW1 military camps there always appears to be a civilian presence.  We have military figures which I will post later but this is the selection of civies.

 

 

[2ManySpams]

I can see another use for them Andy, just need one with a stockier build...

[wagonbasher]

Hi

 

Spent a couple of hours this morning making sleepers from copperclad - not much to see.

 

as the little folk went down well I thought I would share this.

 

The coal would have been transported to the camp via the camp railway to the coal store (right hand side of the layout).  Each set of huts had its own coal store so horse and carts like this tipper would have distributed the coal around the camp for heating and cooking purposes.

 

Ive painted it Green as normal military horse and carts but this is not a standard type of military horse drawn transport.

 

 

The horse and a member of the ASC are killing time.

 

 

[Ian Smeeton]

Green Horses, whatever next?

 

Regards

 

Ian

[Clive Mortimore]

Hi

 

Spent a couple of hours this morning making sleepers from copperclad - not much to see.

 

as the little folk went down well I thought I would share this.

 

The coal would have been transported to the camp via the camp railway to the coal store (right hand side of the layout).  Each set of huts had its own coal store so horse and carts like this tipper would have distributed the coal around the camp for heating and cooking purposes.

 

Ive painted it Green as normal military horse and carts but this is not a standard type of military horse drawn transport.

 

 

The horse and a member of the ASC are killing time.

Hi Andy

 

As an ex-military man I take exception to the use of ASC, when it should be RASC.

 

 

 

How else can the micky be taken if the R is missed off, we all know that RASC stood for Run Away Someone is Coming.     

 

Serious point, the driver is wearing a leather belt. He would more than likely have a webbing belt. There was a shortage of webbing early on and some units were issued with leather equipment until the webbing producing companies could catch up with the recruitment.

[wagonbasher]

If I'm honest he's meant to be manning a field gun...  W^D Models range does not include service troops with or without an R....

 

The W^D range has excellent models that are in non action poses...  The other figure manufacturers like Airfix etc. are in full combat mode.

 

Does the gun crew explain his belt ?

 

Andy 

[wagonbasher]

or have I just painted it the wrong colour?

 

Andy

[big jim]

The liner was then ripped away and the residue grass shaved right back with a pair of hair clippers

See you did find a use for that unused Christmas present

[Clive Mortimore]

If I'm honest he's meant to be manning a field gun...  W^D Models range does not include service troops with or without an R....

 

The W^D range has excellent models that are in non action poses...  The other figure manufacturers like Airfix etc. are in full combat mode.

 

Does the gun crew explain his belt ?

 

Andy 

Hi Andy

 

The use of leather equipment by the British army by 1914 was on the way out. Leather tends to stretch at the wrong time. Web equipment is less suspectable to changes, so once a solider has adjusted his straps and poaches so he is comfortable in them they stay the same shape (in therory, no told my webbing that). As I said some units were issued leather equipment, most village cobblers could make the pouches etc where as the web equipment was not easily made by the local tailor. So when there was a need for more belts and pouches leather was used and issued, mainly to units in training. Having said all that the Royal Artillery was one of the last to convert to webbing, gunners in 1914 wore a leather bandolier, of 1903 pattern, with ammunition pouches while on the march, normally with no belt. When manning the guns items like bandoliers were soon put in a pile out the way. Photos of WW1 gunners do not often show men with belts on over their tunics.

 

 

or have I just painted it the wrong colour?

 

Andy

 

Yes and no, if you man is intended to be dressed in a leather belt then no problem.

If he is to have a web belt then yes.

It was a training area so the "staff" which the coal man would have been could well be issued with leather gear.

 

While writing this waffle I looked up the "Karkee Web" site and discovered the 1903 pattern leather belt was declared obsolete in 1916 only for it to be reinstated in 1923 and lasted on the army's books until 1999. http://www.karkeeweb.com/patterns/1903/components/1903_belts_straps.html

 

It is a great site for photos of troops during the WW1 period but not on the front line.

[inglenookfan]

Howdy

 

What a great thread.

 

I think the background work is just fantastic and its very interesting and refreshing to see Tackeroo develop.

 

More pics please

[wagonbasher]

Just took delivery of a locally produced book. A long walk from the station... The story of Brockton prisoner of war camp.

 

The author is beryl holt chairperson of the berkswich history society (of this parish)...

 

By 1917 there was a great need to house German prisoners, either captured at sea or shipped over from France and Belgium. A part of Brockton camp was turned over to the prison with fences, barbed wire, gaurd towers and a shoot after one challenge if the white capped fence had been breached.

 

The pow camp housed 6000 men.

 

Some died of their injuries sustained in battle but the flu epidemic of 1918 saw the deaths rise to over 200.

 

The small burial ground went on to become the national German cemetery and enemy combatants from all over the UK from both world wars are buried in this beautiful and peaceful place including the crews of airships.

 

The book is IBSN978-0-9527247-9-7

 

As usual with these things the more you learn, the more questions you need to know the answer to.

 

andy

[Benjamin Brady]

This is developing as an excellent layout, I am looking forward to seeing more posts and photos from yourself.

[wagonbasher]

Over this holiday we have managed to move the permenant way along.

 

Two boards have moved into my garage after I had a clean up..  my 'Staffordshire Finescale Group' friends will know that that was no small clean up.

 

I have the milford end and the middle section that houses the large ordanance store

 

Andy

 

 

 

 

[Indomitable026]

Over this holiday we have managed to move the permenant way along.

 

Two boards have moved into my garage after I had a clean up..  my 'Staffordshire Finescale Group' friends will know that that was no small clean up.

 

I have the milford end and the middle section that houses the large ordanance store

 

Andy

Does that mean Black Country Blues is out in the elements....

[wagonbasher]

Does that mean Black Country Blues is out in the elements....

No... BCB has its own room....

 

andy

[ELTEL]

That garage

[wagonbasher]

I take my hat off to those of you that invest time in Pway, track beds, track, turnouts, wiring and point mechanisms, this whole aspect of model making soaks up time and any mistakes will be punished with poor running and reliability for ever more...

 

Tackeroo's 3 points will be controlled by tortoise motors.  We are using the C&L tortoise adapters that provides a mount for the motor which drives a plastic tie bar sliding side to side.  The tie bar replaces a tiebar above the surface and moves the blades sides to side with rod dropping down from the switch to tubes mounted in the plastic tie bar.

 

We figured that in the middle of a show, replacing a motor should be allowed for but the adapters don't make that easy. You are looking at the upper face of the adapter.  The four counter sunk recesses are to house 3BA bolts that will pass through slotted holes in the tortoise and need to be secured with nuts..   The adapter is then screwed by some or all of the other 6 holes to the bottom of the base board trapping the bolts.  To change a motor, you have to change the adapter.  Imagine upside down at a show trying to get the adapters slide bar tubes to locate the droppers from the switch..  Our motors are about 70mm inside the foam that forms the landscape.  Need to be able to change the motor leaving the adapter in place.

The Plan is to trap the  motor mounting nuts on the upper side of the adapter and then secure with threaded screws from the underside so that just the motor can be changed.

 

Drill out the countersunk holes to a size just smaller than the nuts,  then use a screw to pull the nut into the hole, remember it is just a little bigger than the hole so with a little plastic stretching it does force itself into the hole and in turn is fixed rigid.

 

Using some smaller threaded cheese head screws the motor can be mounted and removed without removing the adapter

 

 

 

[Mark Forrest]

I take my hat off to those of you that invest time in Pway, track beds, track, turnouts, wiring and point mechanisms, this whole aspect of model making soaks up time and any mistakes will be punished with poor running and reliability for ever more...

My biggest worry when I'm laying track is that any mistakes won't reveal themselves until too late - plenty of testing before you ballast!!

 

 

Drill out the countersunk holes to a size just smaller than the nuts,  then use a screw to pull the nut into the hole, remember it is just a little bigger than the hole so with a little plastic stretching it does force itself into the hole and in turn is fixed rigid.

Seems a worthwhile modification.  Another one to consider is extending the slot in the base where the wire that drives the tie bar passes through so that it is wide enough two dropper wires from the switch blades to also pass all the way through.