RMweb Premium The White Rabbit Posted October 13, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 13, 2015 I would say that they are on the small side but, obviously, size varies enormously between breeds. I find that they look a lot bigger when a herd of them is chasing you. Definitely! And sometimes size varies even within breeds, especially in the OP's modelled era. In the 50s & 60s, with the onset of artificial insemination, better breeding became more widespread and breed standards became more common. In the first half of the 20th century, a lot of smaller farmers would use any bull to get their cows in calf to start producing milk and the results could be a little ... mixed. Nowadays, cattle from the same breed do tend to be of a similar size, though there are still some noticeable regional and bloodline differences. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagonman Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 Hi wagonman, I take it this is the kind of "cow livery" you're talking about! dairy shorthorn.jpg That's the one. Bit reminiscent of a rusty 16 ton mineral wagon... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold wenlock Posted October 14, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted October 14, 2015 That's the one. Bit reminiscent of a rusty 16 ton mineral wagon... I can feel a bit of stippling coming on!:-) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammy Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Can I just say thanks gents this thread has tickled me with some of your story's Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisf Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 We have some old Merit cows reliveried as Devon Reds on the layout. To go with them I bought a whitemetal cow with handlebars from Dart Castings with the aim of converting it to a bull. What heifer happened to it I don't know but I can't find it. Bullocks! Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Mick Bonwick Posted October 14, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 14, 2015 I can feel a bit of stippling coming on!:-) Steady, lad. Steady! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 .... I bought a whitemetal cow with handlebars.... So it was a hipster cow? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devo63 Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 What heifer happened to it I don't know but I can't find it. Bullocks! Chris Where is the GROAN button or emoticon when you need it! Further to my earlier post - I found the article on modelling Welsh Blacks in my November 1974 copy of Railway Modeller. Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith George Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Here's a very impressive looking chap! I'll need to buy some more Milliput to do him justice! :-) Beef Shorthorn.jpg Here's a very impressive looking chap! I'll need to buy some more Milliput to do him justice! :-) Beef Shorthorn.jpg Not much good for milk that one, it's only got two udders. Keith. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenton Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Those cows are bullocks...Are you sure about that? I haven't looked in detail but to me they are more like heifers. I spent many a hour in a milking shed when young (grandfather owned a large farm 2-300 dairy, along with other livestock and arable) and I can tell you when you put your shoulder up against them to nudge them into pens for milking they always appear to be larger than life. Regarding the original question - I'd say they look close enough as makes no difference. Though if it looks as if they will not fit through the doors on your cattle wagons then they might be considered too big. For a field setting then smaller might help the illusion as most models are foreshortened dramatically and fields never seem to represent actual field sizes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium corneliuslundie Posted October 14, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 14, 2015 And when you have sorted out your cows, you can look at this thread: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/82047-traeth-mawr-side-tracked-again/ A few months ago we had a long discussion there on Welsh sheep. You see, we really are all mad - or is it the rest of the world? Seriously, breeds change remarkably quickly, going in and out of fashion. Even back in 1905 there was a lot of cross breeding to try to get better breeds for particular areas. If cows are like sheep then the geology and flora affect quite strongly which breeds thrive in particular places. Even a few miles can make a difference. Jonathan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 I've found many an 00 bird turned into an 0 gauge cow in the fullness of time.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penlan Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Hi all I need some cows to put in my layout's http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/1131-wenlocks-blog/ cattle dock. I picked up these rather nice castings from Duncan models at a show recently. Now I've assembled them and put them next to some figures they look a bit on the large size to me. They are supposed to be 7mm scale and are 35mm tall to the shoulder and 60mm from nose to tail. Scaled up this works out as a cow that's 5 foot to the shoulder tall and about 8 foot 6 inches from nose to tail. A search on the web provides lots of information about cows weight, but nothing much on the size of prototype cattle! Here are a couple of pics of the beasts in question! IMG_0992a.jpg IMG_0993a.jpg I'd appreciate any advice regarding the size of these animals, before I spend time painting them. I think the bodies are OK, but the heads are to big. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagonman Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Are you sure about that? I haven't looked in detail but to me they are more like heifers. Check out the pizzle midships. Heifers don't have that, for obvious reasons... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenton Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 Check out the pizzle midships. Heifers don't have that, for obvious reasons... I said I didn't look in detail - in that case they still remain calves and worth only for veal Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 57xx Posted October 16, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 16, 2015 I bought a whitemetal cow with handlebars Way back when, we used to buy cowhorn handlebars from the local hardware shop to go on our pushbikes for riding in the New Forest (along with old fat rims off the postie's bikes and a set of knobbly tyres). We'd invented mountain bikes before they were invented (as I'm sure kids all over the country in the 70's did!) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 ...we used to buy cowhorn handlebars from the local hardware shop to go on our pushbikes for riding in the New Forest (along with old fat rims off the postie's bikes and a set of knobbly tyres). We'd invented mountain bikes before they were invented (as I'm sure kids all over the country in the 70's did!) There was a very weird bike that Raleigh produced in the 1970s - I think it was marketed as the "Phaser". The frame had its top tube curved upwards, but was otherwise an ordinary gent's bicycle with straight handlebars and Sturmey-Archer 3-speed hub..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightengine Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 On Countryfile last week they had a small Devon breed. I guess they can be pretty much any size. This horse is pretty large compared to normal size horses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 ^^ A good 18 hands, that one. Acquaintance of mine has a 10-year-old Clydesdale - he's massive, and makes all the other horses and ponies at the yard look small. He's got hooves the size of Crown Derby dinner plates and the farrier has to obtain outsize shoes for him as he's a size or two larger than the biggest standard size...... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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