Modelling the M&CR's branch lines in EM gauge

[CKPR]

The upper picture is from Bowtell's 'Rails through Lakeland' and the lower one from Robert Western' s 'The Cockermouth, Keswick & Penrith Railway' (the latter is also reproduced in Peter W. Robinson's 'Railways  of Cumbria')

Edited February 9, 2023 by CKPR

[Annie]

That is an attractive looking trackplan and has all the classic trainset scenic bits and pieces to make quite a nice model.

 

[CKPR]

Indeed and it's been staring me in the face since I started railway modelling in the mid-1970s. Also, architectural modelling isn't really my thing and the thought of making Cockermouth station building in 4mm was pretty daunting !

[WFPettigrew]

Big likes from me!

 

Don't tell @SteamAle he will want it at SolRail in November...!

 

All the best

 

Neil 

[CKPR]

I'll have to get a move on then !

[apl31]

For comparison this is Bassenthwaite station very similar, although a  post office was added at the back later. This is one of many many half finished projects.

[t-b-g]

If you are modelling an obscure prototype, requiring lots of kit or scratchbuilding, there is something quite appealing about building a relatively unambitious and achievable model rather than something larger and more complex. It gives a reasonable chance of getting something up and running without taking a huge timespan. You then have the opportunity to add and develop the loco and stock situation, so if the opportunity arises to build the "grand plan" then you can concentrate on the layout and not have to produce the layout and the stock.

 

I think that is a lovely little prototype and would make a lovely and unusual exhibition layout. It might not sustain operational interest for home running sessions but with perhaps a three or four road fiddle yard at each end, perhaps turntable types to reduce the amount that needs to be done on them, something like that could easily keep me occupied happily for a weekend show. 

[apl31]

CKPR

There are drawings of Penruddock station buildings in CRA journal Vol 6 Oct 97 p55. The roofline slopes down over end of building similar to Embleton. Just noticed Bassenthwaite has gable front.

[CKPR]

Thank you, that's really helpful as  I should have that copy and now know where to look.

 

[CKPR]

I've added the buffer and drag beams and the valences to the footplate of No.3, which I re-made as I hadn't thought ahead as regards fixing it onto the chassis, etc. The reason No.3 is looking down at the rear is that the trailing wheel hornblock stays are set too high for the beam compensation to work but this should be a straightforward job to correct. And now for something not so straightforward to correct - both No.3 and No.7 are a scale 6" (2mm) too wide. It's an error carried over from the old W Hardin Osborne drawings and perpetuated in my template for the distinctive M&CR bufferbeams. Oh well, it's way too late to correct it now and it's only really noticeable when you see the gap between the splashers and the cab sides on No.7. 

Edited February 22, 2023 by CKPR

[ian@stenochs]

My first scratchbuilt loco was also from a W Hardin Osborne drawing which appeared in the Modeller. When I eventually obtained a copy of the GA drawing of the engine in question I was really disappointed at the number of errors on the published plans. A lesson learned and I don’t trust a drawing without a lot of checking.

 

Ian.

[MarcD]

I still have a FR hopper wagon that I built in the late 90's it was built from a Rush drawing similar issues the drawing was a work of fiction.

Marc

[CKPR]

On 20/02/2023 at 17:04, MarcD said:

I still have a FR hopper wagon that I built in the late 90's it was built from a Rush drawing similar issues the drawing was a work of fiction.

Marc

Reletter it as Rowrah & Kelton Fell ?!  No one will be any the wiser !

Edited October 23, 2023 by CKPR

[MarcD]

It's so bad it's not even possible to do that. When you look at it as an engineer it would hold itself together moving it out of the wagon works let alone trying to load ore into it. 

I keep it to remind me to always have a photo to back up any drawing before starting a project. The other lesson learned was don't believe any drawing done by Rush or Osborne as they are artwork and not a drawing.

Marc

[CKPR]

I like to have a kit build ongoing with a scratchbuild and so I've dipped into the collection of loco kits seen in previous posts and made a start on the London Road Models Cauliflower. Or rather, the ex-Geo. Norton Webb 1800 gal tender that is common to several LRM LNWR kits. "Always build the tender first" is the old advice and this case, it will be good practice for the ones included in the Whitworth and DX Goods kits. Definitely a case of etched brass origami and I'll be making a couple of wooden formers before tackling the other two.

Edited April 4, 2023 by CKPR

[CKPR]

In other news, looks like I'll be doing a review of the new Oakwood  Press book on the M&CR for the CRA journal, 'Cumbrian Railways' .

[SteamAle]

I'll be very interested to read it! I got my copy yesterday and just flicked through it.

120 x A5 pages =60 x A4 of a CRA publication but with bigger images, oh how I do like them, there are quite a lot of things I'd of liked to have seen included to be of help to us modellers. Larger print for my old eyes being one. Some colour. Oh sorry you are the person doing the review not me, sorry.

Not certain when/if I'll ever find the time to read it from cover to cover.

[Jol Wilkinson]

I have found the ex George Norton tender kits straightforward if you follow the instructions but bending the inner and outer tank sides need care. I like the idea of a former, but I don't think my woodwork skills would be good enough to make one.

 

For P4 I found it necessary to leave out the etched brass axlebox/spring supports to give enough clearance for the wheels. I don't know if that may be required for EM.

[DavidLong]

On 04/04/2023 at 23:21, CKPR said:

In other news, looks like I'll be doing a review of the new Oakwood  Press book on the M&CR for the CRA journal, 'Cumbrian Railways' .

Does this mean that they have finally got around to an update of the Jack Simmons volume or has there been one in between in the last eighty years?

 

David

[CKPR]

It's written by Robert Western who wrote  a history of the CKPR for  Oakwood Press in 2001 and I don't know yet  if there is any lineage back to Jack Simmons 1947 book  (Oakwood Press No. 4 !).

Edited April 6, 2023 by CKPR

[CKPR]

I told you that I am very easily distracted. At least this counts as pre-grouping, unlike the bren gun carrier, and there is a connection, albeit very tangential, to my 'proper' modelling. Back in the 1960s, the toy shop in Cockermouth carried the full range of Airfix kits but my interests, abilities and pocket money only ran to Series 1 or Series 2 military aircraft or AFVs. The wider range of ships, airliners and vintage cars seemed both very sophisticated and also a bit boring to 6-7 year old me but the B Type bus kit seemed to be the very epitome of 'grown up' modelling. I think I was also picking up on the Victorian & Edwardian nostalgia boom at the end of the 1960s, including of course "The Railway Children", beloved of those resident in the parish of  Castle Aching.  There you go, a very tenuous link to fine scale model making, Cockermouth and the pre-grouping era.

Edited October 23, 2023 by CKPR

[CKPR]

Some more progress on the tender for the Cauliflower - I've added LRM hornblocks and bearings to provide some compensation for the tender as per all my other tender locomotives but otherwise, it's exactly as per the kit. And a very good kit it is too. That said, I made a bit of mess of soldering  on the tank top and had a lot of cleaning up to do. I'm rather pleased with it and looking forward to tackling the locomotive proper. 

Edited April 26, 2023 by CKPR

[Jol Wilkinson]

Have you checked a wheelset between the etched axle box supports? I P4 I have found I need to omit them and solder the axle box/spring castings to the inside of the solebars . Otherwise there is insufficient  clearance for the wheels.

 

[CKPR]

Thanks for the heads up on this, Jol. I'm going by the instructions that suggest that it should be OK for EM but I haven't tried a full set of wheels as yet as I've been using a spare pair of wheels as a jig / template and a new full set is the next purchase . It's such a straightforward kit that it should be easy enough the remove the supports if necessary. 

Edited April 26, 2023 by CKPR

[Compound2632]

I found I had to file down the back of the castings to get them to fit.

 

O.O. Bodger Esq.