“WASHBOURNE”

[Northroader]

Here you go, Jim and Don, a quote from Gordon Sewell’s labour of love “NBR wagons- some design aspects”

Edited August 13, 2018 by Northroader

[Northroader]

Now, here’s a photo of an HO Italian wagon, made by those skilled craftsmen on Lake Como. You should be able to spot the differing buffer heads, and, dang my boots, the left hand one is domed. (No wonder we voted for Brexit)

[St Enodoc]

So we would have to agree at our club to say always have the left hand buffer domed  as you face them. I am sure some bu99er would want the right hand one domed. 

 

Don

Probably a Sou' West man.

[Northroader]

The last couple of months I’ve been busy with the stock storage boxes, and their contents. The cassettes on Washbourne are 35” (890mm) long, and I’m trying to get the boxes to the same length. Most are about this, there’s some slight variations due to stock sizes of the greyboard sheet. There’s some old 40” ones which I’m shortening down, and there’s also some from another old scheme which are just 21”, which are getting used as somewhere to put odd groups of wagons that pad up shunting operations. Then the train sets inside are coming out, and getting matched up to the length. The couplers are having long single links with tee pieces done as needed, funnily enough the one mineral set which had three links fitted has stayed as a one off, the other mineral sets I’ve got run perfectly on the single links, very odd, must be something else funny with that set. Each set gets some test runs, this has thrown up an improvement in pickups on one loco. In the process some surpluses have appeared, Ive managed to transfer two relettered wagons to another set to complete it, and also there’s enough odds and sods to start off trains from another line I hadn’t planned for, with some work. It’s been quite a useful exercise, and highlighted the need to push on with completing jobs, as over half the boxes need a loco, coach, or wagon to give a complete set, and in most cases I already have the bits and pieces to do this. I also need to get the greyboard for another half dozen boxes. Here’s a picture to show what you get for this length, just about able to call this a minimal goods train, with its storage box.

The last box I came to had three lonely coal wagons from up the Rhondda inside, so I thought let’s start with this one, as I have a kit ready. It’s a nearly finished kit I picked up from the executor & trustee stand at a gauge O guild do, probably Reading trade fair, or maybe Telford a year ago. You do wonder about whoever had the kit, so best owe it to him to try and make a proper job. It came as a pretty well complete superstructure, and the chassis just needed detail like brake work and sandboxes, but none of these bits were in the box, so I had to fake these up. I varied it from the pregroup look it had, to a big four era, safety valve bonnet and paint scheme. The chassis of the kit is a RollsRoyce job compared with the wrecks I scratch build, two driving axles have sprung hornblocks, the wheels look like Walsall cast iron, nice flywheel motor, and two stage gearbox. The interface with the superstructure needed some attention, but now I’ve done the detailing and it’s ready to paint. Since I’ve taken the picture I’ve got the chassis stripped down to paint, following the usual malarkey with the Allen key on the axle screws. Then put it all together and wire up (should I have given it a spin earlier on in the proceedings? ah well..) then a brake van, and I’ve got the chassis for that. Mustn’t stop til I’ve got the box complete, the first of several.

Edited September 5, 2018 by Northroader

[Nearholmer]

Nice work, and admirable focus/discipline.

 

What exactly is ‘greyboard’? Is it strong enough to protect your excellent craftwork?

 

K

[Northroader]

Discipline? Give it a week, and I’ll be up to something else! Greyboard? Well, it’s cardboard, but it’s, er, grey. Like a thick cornflakes packet. The stuff I’m using is 2mm. thick, it’s like a good quality cardboard, you get it from art shops in sheets, they use it in mounting pictures. Here’s one of my pinkies holding an offcut with a tender inside, which might give a better idea of how it works. There’s room for stuff to rattle about, and occasionally when I open one a buffer head falls out, so I’m careful to hold them level, but there fairly rigid, and they do stack.

[Donw]

I quite like the idea of making up set trains. I have some metre long cassettes which enable another wagon to be added (or two if the loco is a small tank). Cdertainly such an approach might get more done.

 

Don

[ChrisN]

What a beautiful little green loco that is, and the goods train is really nice.

[Northroader]

Well, I’ve pushed on with the loco, and now all that’s needed is a traincrew, when I find the box they’re hiding in, and numberplates, and here I’m considering making a job of it and buying some tailor made. (Buying, gasp, shock, horror) I forgot to mention it’s a Dragon Models kit, and it has made up into a nice runner. I like the nice chunky look, the A class were the biggest engines the TVR had, and I’ve picked No. 380, which was about the last to keep that look before Caerphilly slapped in a taper boiler in 1930. All it’s had so far is a change of safety valves, and gained a toolbox. I have to admit that most of my working life was on Railways in the Cardiff area, so I’m quite fond of the scene down there. Pregroup would be nice, but there are so many lines to go for, so I reckon a ragbag of odds and sods from the ‘20s would be good. Anyhow, that’s working towards the distant future, as the LBSC isn’t completed yet.

That leaves just the brake-van to complete that box set, but I’ve got to confess discipline has broken down here, as in the last week, I’ve got an old kit off eBay, and been messing with that. It’s old in the sense that it has nice sixteenth inch brass frames rather than etched, and the guy who sold it has lost the buffer beams and coupling rods, so I’ve been fettling those up. Then the valances, footplate, and frames each have their own idea of what the loco length should be. I’ll push on with that for a bit, and I must order wheels, so maybe then the brakevan will get a look in.

[Mikkel]

Ah yes, I see it now. This is how it was always meant to be: Northroader doing the Welsh Valleys. An excellent match! :-)

[Edwardian]

Well, I’ve pushed on with the loco, and now all that’s needed is a traincrew, when I find the box they’re hiding in, and numberplates, and here I’m considering making a job of it and buying some tailor made. (Buying, gasp, shock, horror) I forgot to mention it’s a Dragon Models kit, and it has made up into a nice runner. I like the nice chunky look, the A class were the biggest engines the TVR had, and I’ve picked No. 380, which was about the last to keep that look before Caerphilly slapped in a taper boiler in 1930. All it’s had so far is a change of safety valves, and gained a toolbox. I have to admit that most of my working life was on Railways in the Cardiff area, so I’m quite fond of the scene down there. Pregroup would be nice, but there are so many lines to go for, so I reckon a ragbag of odds and sods from the ‘20s would be good. Anyhow, that’s working towards the distant future, as the LBSC isn’t completed yet.

6EA00122-BC81-45CF-B464-7A9F1DFF79C2.jpeg57FBB02D-2A75-4607-ABAF-BB01687A249D.jpeg

That leaves just the brake-van to complete that box set, but I’ve got to confess discipline has broken down here, as in the last week, I’ve got an old kit off eBay, and been messing with that. It’s old in the sense that it has nice sixteenth inch brass frames rather than etched, and the guy who sold it has lost the buffer beams and coupling rods, so I’ve been fettling those up. Then the valances, footplate, and frames each have their own idea of what the loco length should be. I’ll push on with that for a bit, and I must order wheels, so maybe then the brakevan will get a look in.

 

An impression of concentrated power, beautifully modelled.

[Northroader]

I’m afraid the impression of power will be undermined by the piddly little trains it will be teamed up with.

[corneliuslundie]

You needn't bother with the brake van if you backdate things enough. The TVR didn't believe in them and had to be forced to use them.

Jonathan

PS But probably before the date the loco was built

[Northroader]

It would make room for another coal wagon, four instead of three, but then again, having a brake van would make it look more of a train, and spice up the very basic shunting a tiny bit. At present there is a chassis made up and waiting, just the body to do. I’m working out of the Welsh Railway study groups Rhymney Railway book to do a RR brake with a GWR finish, hope the TVR one appears soon.

By the bye, Jonathan, I never realised it was you staffing the HMRS stand at Telford, or I’d have had more of a chat, it wasn’t til I saw your thread the following day as I saw I’d actually met you. As you can see, the GWR transfers with the advice for using Methfix you gave have worked well on this loco, thanks again for that.

[DLT]

Lovely stuff Mr.Northroader,

Cheers, Dave.

[Donw]

Nice model. I remember a pair of them double headed pulling about 80 coal wagons round a garden layout quite impressive.

 

Don

[Edwardian]

Nice model. I remember a pair of them double headed pulling about 80 coal wagons round a garden layout quite impressive.

 

Don

 

Well then, Northroader's next project ...

[Northroader]

If I laid tracks in the garden, my hide would appear on the shed.

[Caley Jim]

If I laid tracks in the garden, my hide would appear on the shed.

And we could then use it to forecast the weather! :-)

 

Jim (on my phone, so no jester emoticon)

 

Oops, sorry, thought I was still in 1905 CA.

[Northroader]

Have you got that yacht moved that’s been in your back garden since yesterday?

[Northroader]

I suppose it’s the way you look at it, it’s still not much of a train, but the Pantygates Drift Mine doesn’t have too much of an output. Still a lot to do before we go to Wales, though.

[Caley Jim]

Have you got that yacht moved that’s been in your back garden since yesterday?

On the presumption that you're asking me, too far from the sea (just about as far as you can get in Scotland) for even storm Ali to blow a yacht in, but I spent this morning returning some rather large branches over the hedge to our next door neighbour from whose trees they had come.  Also coiled up their telephone line (which the branches had brought down and was lying across the hedge and our grass) and placed it at the foot of the pole out on the road.  BT engineer is there at the moment.  Our phone line is underground, so no problems for us.

 

We were on the school run yesterday and while it was still blowing fiercely, the rain went off around lunchtime, so we thought we would at least be dry.  Not a bit!  It came back on just before 3:00 pm with a vengeance and after only 5 minutes or so waiting in the playground the water was literally running off me!  Dry and much calmer today.

 

Jim

Edited September 20, 2018 by Caley Jim

[Northroader]

I’ve been quiet for a few weeks, mainly because I haven’t got anything to a state where I can post some pictures and brag about it. I’m still very busy, on the one hand building locos, and also organising the layout. So, in the meantime, here’s a link to an example of best practices to pick over, as I’m sure some of the small lines will act as an inspiration. Probably you all know about this blog already, i like to dip in from time to time:http://nevardmedia.blogspot.com/

[Compound2632]

Probably you all know about this blog already, i like to dip in from time to time:http://nevardmedia.blogspot.com/

 

I used to follow that but then it went very quiet, I presume as his magazine and commercial work took over. Glad to see he's posting again. I've found Combwich very atmospheric.

 

It was from this blog that I learnt that while in Germany, the Rhine is a major river, in Somerset, it's a drainage ditch.

[Northroader]

I’ll have to work that one out in my Atlas.