All Activity

The E19 cad is finished and it prints satisfactorily except the roof which sometimes warps so I’ve added transverse strengthening and need to do a test print. I’m also working out how to best do the windows - or indeed how not to do them. D

The Tide Is High - Blondie

Not quite what I fava😉

What about the E19s that sometimes ran as a kind of early B set?

150234 Going to the Looe

Looks like it’s a vegetarian pick-your-own buffet again😉

I've been asked to restore the photos of this loco, I think I've found them all but couldn't work out how to alter the original post so here it is again. Since then the big KTM motor has been replaced by a TA12 can in the same place and 49801 is back in the works again after failing on Chapel en le Frith at the LMRS open day on Saturday - the front unit has jammed up but I've not got round to investigating it yet. It was suggested that that we might put out a kit for this...... In view of the interest this loco provokes at exhibitions - usually along the lines of "what on earth is that?" - I am putting some details, photos and drawings on here. The origin of this is a diagram prepared at Horwich in 1923 as an alternative to the LMS Garratt, it was published, along with several other very interesting proposals, in "Chronicles of Steam" by E.S.Cox. Below is the drawing I made from this (many years ago, long before the CAD age) to build 49801. Those with long memories will have seen 49801 on "Leeds Victoria" and more recently on "Cwmafon" and "Herculaneum Dock". According to my records I finished this model in 1985. The drawing office kept the wheelbase to a minimum in order to fit on a 60' turntable, it would almost certainly have been unstable at the front end and Cox was of the opinion that a pony truck would have been added if it had been built. For my purposes fitting on a 60' turntable was a distinct advantage so I left it as it was. The tender in the drawing is an extended version of that fitted to the L&Y Dreadnought 4-6-0 but in view of what happened to the Crabs I thought this was unlikely to have been built. The standard Fowler 3500 gal. tender looked even more ridiculous with the Mallet but I had a spare 4000 gal. tender from an original Princess and this looked just about right with 49801. Minimum radius on my layouts is normally 28", 49801 will get round this but the throwover of the boiler looks rather excessive. I made no attempt to fit the steam and exhaust pipes at the time but I have thought about adding them since, if only to hide the front unit's worm gear - clearly visible above. The boiler is supported on a conventional saddle on the rear unit and on a slide on the front unit. The loco is LH drive but the leading unit's reach rod is duplicated each side from a rocker on the rear unit rod. None of this was shown in the original diagram - all my own design but based on Horwich practice of the time. With the body removed this is how it works. A large KTM motor fits easily in the huge firebox and drives the leading axle of the rear unit directly by a Romford gearset (no gearboxes in those days). On the end of this is a cardan shaft to the leading axle of the front unit. Cylinders were made from the white metal castings which used to be available from W&H, motion from Jamieson parts. Frames would have been sawn out of hard brass sheet at this time - about .015" thickness. Close up of cardan shaft The articulated joint was made as shown in the drawing, designed to be very rigid but I had to slacken it a bit in view of the total lack of springing or compensation in the frames. If I was building it now it would probably be compensated. The view from underneath, wheels are very old Romfords, uninsulated mazak on one side, it mostly picks up from the tender though. OO gauge leaves plenty of room for the motion. Boiler unit and front unit footplate. There are side control springs on the front unit slide, the lump of brass between the springs locates in the slot in the underside of the boiler when assembled. This shows why I split the reversing mechanism, a single weighshaft at the front end would not have been possible. BR did something similar much later on the Crosti 9F. Close up photos show off Barry O's excellent weathering. I hope this has all been of interest. Michael Edge

It would seem to be an obvious candidate; high maintenance costs, high operating costs, little internal traffic.

A fairly easy one to sort the photos for today, a day trip on a Saturday in September 2006 to Berlin to tie in with an Open Day at Potsdam tram depot. The availability of information about such things in advance via the Internet or local contacts being a distinct advantage, plus the Ryanair flights to Berlin at that time were fairly easy to get seats on cheaply, even close to the departure date. A couple of views at Potsdam Hbf of then current and preserved stock...... A preserved Gotha built tram/trailer set was on display at the depot..... ...along with the driver training car...... ...and this Combino in an odd livery, which may have been a demonstrator on loan...... Problems were still being experienced at that time with metal fatigue on this type of car across several operators so that may have been the reason it was at Potsdam, though I don't think they were as badly affected as some places. There was also an interesting display of maintenance equipment as well..... I was actually off to Berlin a week later than this trip as well, though for a full holiday covering a lot of rail interest in the area, so that will be the next posting in a couple of weeks time, but this can act as a taster in the meantime....

Eight miles high - The Byrds

Any update by anyone on the metadata class 50/Mk2 dates? (Don't know how to access it...) I've got a couple of 50s pending and my bank requires confirmation of purchase on my phone for online spending, so I'll have to keep it close by. The child in me doesn't want to have to wait for restocking if Hornby sells out (I'm suspecting that the 50s will be as popular as the HSTs seem to have been). Cheers, Michael

Apart from the appearance and running qualities, don't forget that the minimum radii of the different track standards affect what kind of layout can be folded into, say, a double garage.

Good job it's just me then isn't it. What's been going on here then. Chair overturned. You could at least got the place ready before I arrived. I suppose I'll have to set it straight, before my full English arrives. It's two sausages, scrambled eggs, two rashes of bacon- well done please, mushrooms, cooked tomatoes and a couple of kidneys please. I don't know. He invites you round for breakfast and he's not even got the place ready. Ps nice modelling.

One morning a couple of summers back, my daughter and I had to go to Woburn on a Saturday morning to collect something from a shop, and as we waited to cross the road, one of these came puttering along the road. What impressed me was how tall it was - not a small vehicle at all.

That's a nice pic! I'm looking forward to being able to mix in the odd early privatisation era coach into my rakes.

Don’t you find eating the customers restful enough, then?

Some photos - including of the venue....click on the banner..

I don’t mind people cancelling bids if they made a mistake and realise within 24 hours but I do wonder if the activity of bidding high and then cancelling the bid just before the auction is bordering on fraudulent as it drives away other people meaning the cancelling bidder has less competition and can therefore achieve a lower price in the final moments of the auction. I have decided to terminate any item of mine where this happens and then block the bidder and re-list. Mark

Some Dapol wagon and carriage wheels are individual wheels in a plastic centre axle, does this offer a solution? Each wheel is independent and a push fit into the centre plastic axle. https://www.petersspares.com/p/Dapol-300200-9f-n-gauge-wheelset-non-geared-tender this link is an example of the style, though at 4 quid an axle it may be cheaper to buy second hand wagons and coaches? I can confirm Mk3s can come up cheap and use these axles, not sure what else off hand. Jo

Lets have our breakfast in the back garden today....!

Whatever you feel now I suggest you pause and reflect ...don't act too quickly....make sure you get a positive outcome whatever course of action you finally select....just my random thoughts - Timmy's Ars* is on a naughty shelf so if I do decide to "recycle" it will be done carefully.....much as I actually want to launch it from some sort of recreated Medieval siege-inspired catapult...... Chris

Probably John. I think I can see a red wrapper in the wheel barrow.

I understand that the relaunch of these kits is planned to have redesigned bogies, so that future builders won't have to resort to alternatives like these or modify the provided ones. Out of curiosity, what is the problem with the separate springs and axleboxes?

Good moaning from a rather wet Charente. We've never experienced such a wet and cold spring here. A lot of the crops, especially the sunflower and maize are having to be planted late due to the state of the ground. We had a good afternoon playing Belote with some friends. The we had some steaks for tea. Beth cooked them one handed whilst I sorted out the chips, mushrooms and wine. Good division of labour. She's going mosaicing this morning to have help finishing off a lovely picture of an owl that she did before her op. Regards to all. Jamie

Can we have a warning next time, please? Yours, Bear (who’s off to look up PTSD)