Castle Aching

[Edwardian]

1 hour ago, Malcolm 0-6-0 said:

That pic of the briefing shows a rare example of a metaphorical face palm by Dr Fauci in the background.

 

A real "Gawd 'elp us" moment. 

 

33 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

Re: POTUS

 

Desperate times call for ........ well, desperation.

 

Malcolm's post caused me to reflect upon who I'm really glad I'm not.  The list that suggested itself to me, in no particular order, was:

 

Dr Anthony Fauci

Dr Neil Ferguson's lover's husband

Anyone ever promised anything by Boris Johnson

Anne Secoulis's conscience

 

26 minutes ago, Annie said:

Nice, - I like Atlantics.  It has the look of an older scratchbuild, - am I right?

 

Yes, it looks like a really lovely scratch-build.

 

I really like it. It has a wonderful quality that no RTR or even a kit could have.

 

It would have to be largely issue-free for me to spend the sort of money this will go for, but I have been sorely tempted.  I have decided not to, which spares me an extravagance I can ill afford. My issues would be:

 

- I think the front frames/front frame overhang is too long

- The shape of the home-made safety valve bonnet is not quite right and a little unattractive.

- The firebox lacks wash-out plugs

- There is a livery anomaly in that the combination of green splashers and the tender lining and initials is not something I would expect to see.  There was, a transitional phase when splashers went green but before frames went black how common it was and whether applied to these new passenger types I'm doubtful, besides, by the time this loco was built (1905) the livery applied to the tender had changed to GREAT [garter armorial] WESTERN

 

The deal breaker for me is that this looks like a parallel boiler.  It should be a short-cone boiler, i.e. the diameter increases over the short space between the safety valve position and the belpaire fire box.

[Compound2632]

11 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

Anyone ever promised anything by Boris Johnson

 

Isn't that all of us, at least in the UK, RoI, and probably the rest of the EU?

Edited May 16, 2020 by Compound2632

[Edwardian]

3 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Isn't that all of us, at least in the UK, RoI, an probably the rest of the EU?

 

Fairy Nuff

 

[Edwardian]

Musings.

 

I'm on my second attempt at a GER Brake Third.  My doily cutting is just not good enough, though Mark II shows improvement over Mark I, so much so, in fact, that I think I could get away with it in GER coach brown.  I just don't think my work is crisp enough to carry the WNR's two-colour lined livery.

 

Which brings me to the Kent & East Sussex Railway, or, rather, the Rother Valley.  Recently I treated myself to  Brian Hart's book.  The text is very readable giving a real sense of the life of the line in its Edwardian heyday.  For once, the author's preference is for the Halcyon Days of the line, rather than the shoe-string phase that most Light Railway junkies fix on.  This means that it has some great pictures of the early days of the line.

 

I have a Hurst Nelson brake van.  One of the two of these tended to run with three of the six Hurst Nelson 4-wheelers before the latter were rebuilt in 1905 as bogie coaches with brake compartments.  This would make a really great little train, paired with one of the Hawthorne Leslie 2-4-0Ts.

 

The GER set is a natural pairing for Bodiam. 

 

Working backwards, here is the condition of Bodiam as depicted by the new Rails model:

 

 

Here below is a transitional livery.  The RVR became the K&ESR in June 1904.  The name has been added, but the original number in the garter remains on the bunker side and coal rails have not been added.  The picture is given as 1906.

 

 

Finally in our reverse evolution, here is the RVR condition, 1901-1904 or so, as depicted in the S Scale model of which Simon posted a picture.  In this case she is at Northiam with the GER set.

 

 

Again with the GER set, forming a mixed train at Northiam.

 

 

Modification of the Rails loco should be reasonably straight forward. The back-dating is largely a matter of removing the coal rails and modifying the livery. Rails has captured all of the basic A1 features, leaving little to do, but, in order to bring her in line with the RVR/K&ESR she will need vac fittings.  This will mean vac stand pipes (I don't see any steam heating pipes at the period in question), which is straight forward.

 

In addition, however, there would have been a vacuum ejector control in the cab and some exterior pipe work.  Here is where I would probably need some help and guidance.   I can discern two components; a pipe leading from the vac ejector (I guess) through the cab front sheet and a prominent vertical pipe.  Best seen in the two images below:

 

 

The upper picture may show a slight alteration.  I think the lower picture is earlier and is what I need to reproduce.

 

Can anyone advise on these arrangements, and now matters might appear on the tank top? 

 

From the looks of things, the Colonel Stephens Society drawing omits these details altogether.

 

 

 

 

.  

Edited May 16, 2020 by Edwardian
spelling!

[Malcolm 0-6-0]

That entertaining chart of warp drive velocities made me wonder about what it would be like if I was in a space ship that had just left our galaxy. Being able to look back at a giant whirlpool of unimaginable size and then look out into the great intergalactic void to the next galaxy which would be but a speck in the distance. It sort of put Covid-19 into a different perspective.   

[Donw]

Marion just heard something on the news about training dogs to sniff out coronavirus. This initiated an image of a pack of dogs roaming the streets hunting down anyone infected to protect us all.

 

You do have to wonder if Trump had a brain bypass?

 

Don

[Nearholmer]

That upright tube is presumably the steam exhaust from the ejector, which would usually go to the smoke box and up the chimney, but this could be a ‘quick and dirty’ installation.

 

The ejectors are often combined with the brake valve, the whole being quite compact and fitted in the cab, so I wonder if all you might see in your red circled area is an incoming live steam pipe with a stop valve and the outgoing exhaust.

 

Maybe their was an earlier variant with the ejectors separate from the brake valve, if so they could well be tucked into that area.

[Edwardian]

22 minutes ago, Malcolm 0-6-0 said:

That entertaining chart of warp drive velocities made me wonder about what it would be like if I was in a space ship that had just left our galaxy. Being able to look back at a giant whirlpool of unimaginable size and then look out into the great intergalactic void to the next galaxy which would be but a speck in the distance. It sort of put Covid-19 into a different perspective.   

 

More's to the point, it would get you a bloody long way away from it, you jammy so and so!

[Nearholmer]

Or, more likely, one of your crew would have embarked as an asymptomatic carrier, allowing warp-speed distribution of the bl00dy thing across the universe, so that it could jump another species barrier and make their life a misery too.

 

(that's just to cheer everyone up)

[Edwardian]

12 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

Or, more likely, one of your crew would have embarked as an asymptomatic carrier, allowing warp-speed distribution of the bl00dy thing across the universe, so that it could jump another species barrier and make their life a misery too.

 

(that's just to cheer everyone up)

 

And I thought I was the pessimistic one.

[Hroth]

6 hours ago, Edwardian said:

So, saw this on the Bay of Fleas, but was only momentarily excited.

 

It is an object of beauty and craftsmanship, and someone will love it, but for me there are too many issues.

 

Any takers?

  

 

In overall arrangement, with the parallel boiler, the odd looking safety valve cover and the forward extension, it looks more like GWR 100 "Dean" ("William Dean") which was the first prototype of the Saint Class. 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GWR_2900_Class#/media/File:Prototype_4-6-0_No.100.jpg

 

 Further efforts were 98 and 171, which had coned boilers. The third prototype became the basis for the rest of the class.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GWR_2900_Class

 

I suspect the builder decided it would look interesting as an Atlantic, though it was the wrong place to start as the Atlantic versions were based on 171

 

In addition, looking at "Ivanhoe", which was one of the convertible Atlantics

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GWR_2900_Class#/media/File:GWR_2900_Class_No._181.jpg

 

There's not that much difference to the model apart from the coned boiler (or apparent lack thereof). Even the strange looking safety valve cover doesn't look too much out of place. Thats what they looked like before the topfeed was incorporated and they became a little squatter!

 

.

Edited May 16, 2020 by Hroth
A little more comparison... And spelin...

[Edwardian]

11 minutes ago, Hroth said:

 

In overall arrangement, with the parallel boiler, the odd looking safety valve cover and the forward extension, it looks more like GWR 100 "Dean" ("William Dean") which was the first prototype of the Saint Class. 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GWR_2900_Class#/media/File:Prototype_4-6-0_No.100.jpg

 

 Further efforts were 98 and 171, which had coned boilers. The third prototype became the basis for the rest of the class.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GWR_2900_Class

 

I suspect the builder decided it would look interesting as an Atlantic, though it was the wrong place to start as the Atlantic versions were based on 171

.

 

I think you have it there.  That is why the loco doesn't look immediately wrong, because your mind recalls pictures of Dean.  As you say, though, it's a wrong combination.

 

2 hours ago, Edwardian said:

 

In order to bring her in line with the RVR/K&ESR she will need vac fittings.  This will mean vac stand pipes (I don't see any steam heating pipes at the period in question), which is straight forward.

 

In addition, however, there would have been a vacuum ejector control in the cab and some exterior pipe work.  Here is where I would probably need some help and guidance.   I can discern two components; a pipe leading from the vac ejector (I guess) through the cab front sheet and a prominent vertical pipe.  Best seen in the two images below:

 

 

Can anyone advise on these arrangements, and now matters might appear on the tank top? 

 

.  

 

This time, shorne of my ramblings, any of you chaps with engineering knowledge like to hazard a guess about the vacuum exhaust pipe arrangements?n

[rocor]

6 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Isn't that all of us, at least in the UK, RoI, and probably the rest of the EU?

 

I have a vague recollection regarding a unicorn, but I have not been holding my breath waiting for mine to be delivered.

[Compound2632]

16 minutes ago, rocor said:

 

I have a vague recollection regarding a unicorn, but I have not been holding my breath waiting for mine to be delivered.

 

Transport of mythical livestock is severely affected by the current outbreak of foot in mouth disease. Yours is treading water in the middle of the Irish Sea awaiting clarity on customs documentation.

[Annie]

6 hours ago, Edwardian said:

I'm on my second attempt at a GER Brake Third.  My doily cutting is just not good enough, though Mark II shows improvement over Mark I, so much so, in fact, that I think I could get away with it in GER coach brown.  I just don't think my work is crisp enough to carry the WNR's two-colour lined livery.

 

Which brings me to the Kent & East Sussex Railway, or, rather, the Rother Valley.  Recently I treated myself to  Brian Hart's book.  The text is very readable giving a real sense of the life of the line in its Edwardian heyday.  For once, the author's preference is for the Halcyon Days of the line, rather than the shoe-string phase that most Light Railway junkies fix on.  This means that it has some great pictures of the early days of the line.

Aaaaaargh!  Impending 'must have' book purchase alert.  All the ones for sale at the moment seem to be the rare gold leaf edition hand lettered by Trappist monks so I might have to bide my time and be patient.  It certainly sounds like it's a book that I very much need though.

 

With paper doily making for coaches I used to make punches from thin wall brass tube.  Keeping the cutting edge sharp is of course essential, but they certainly are easy to make.  The paper needs to be treated with some kind of varnish first though.  Shellac is traditional, but I've used polyurethane and various kind of spray varnish intended for preserving artwork with success.

[NeilHB]

6 hours ago, Edwardian said:

This time, shorne of my ramblings, any of you chaps with engineering knowledge like to hazard a guess about the vacuum exhaust pipe arrangements?n

James,

 

Not sure if the attached is of any use, but this is the vacuum pipe arrangements on my 7mm version:

 

 

 

[jcredfer]

8 hours ago, Donw said:

Marion just heard something on the news about training dogs to sniff out coronavirus. This initiated an image of a pack of dogs roaming the streets hunting down anyone infected to protect us all.

 

You do have to wonder if Trump had a brain bypass?

 

Don

 

If the dog handlers can isolate the particular coronavirus for the dogs to work on, they will be very able to do their job.  It will be quicker to train more dogs, once the source scent is identified and an immediate reaction from them, too.

 

Re trump, surely the wonder is - if there is a brain to bypass?

 

Anyone, having to inform others of their intelligence scores, is clearly not demonstrating that, in either words or actions.

 

He would do well to heed the wisdom that keeping silent may lead people to consider you to be a fool, as opposed to opening the mouth to confirming that you really are!

 

Julian

[Edwardian]

1 hour ago, Annie said:

Aaaaaargh!  Impending 'must have' book purchase alert.  All the ones for sale at the moment seem to be the rare gold leaf edition hand lettered by Trappist monks so I might have to bide my time and be patient.  It certainly sounds like it's a book that I very much need though.

 

With paper doily making for coaches I used to make punches from thin wall brass tube.  Keeping the cutting edge sharp is of course essential, but they certainly are easy to make.  The paper needs to be treated with some kind of varnish first though.  Shellac is traditional, but I've used polyurethane and various kind of spray varnish intended for preserving artwork with success.

 

It is funny you say that, Annie, because I had that very thought about brass tube. filed sharp and mounted on some handle.  I thought it would do the eaves and, where appropriate, waist panels.  For the 3-radius tops to the vertical panels, I was toying with the idea of some thing to cut round.

 

I also thought about varnish.  In the absence of shellac, I was thinking of trying a product called "Knotting"; it's for sealing wood knots.

 

I am immensely encouraged to learn that you have found such techniques successfully. 

 

10 minutes ago, NeilHB said:

James,

 

Not sure if the attached is of any use, but this is the vacuum pipe arrangements on my 7mm version:

 

 

 

 

Neil, that green really suits it.

 

Yes, that's the standard vac exhaust arrangement for the class.  The Rother Valley evidently did it's own thing, and I don't understand enough of the technical side to work out what it did. 

 

What little I understand is that the pipe exhausts the atmospheric pressure, controlled by the ejector in the cab, and this is usually into the smoke box, as in your example, because it assists to draught the fire. I'm pretty sure the pipe that exits Bodiam's cab does not run forward to terminate at the smoke box.  Rather, it curves down toward the tank and then a vertical vent pipe protrudes upward from the tank. Could the exhaust pipe run via the tank? Would that make any sense?  Alternatively, is there some arrangement mounted on the tank top?  

 

The picture again. A pipe from the vacuum ejector runs out of the cab front, via what I take to be a stop valve. It then dives down towards the tank. 

 

Is the vertical pipe part of the exhaust?  I cannot see what else it might be.  If so, what goes on between it and the brass pipe?

 

  

 

 

 

 

[Malcolm 0-6-0]

9 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

Or, more likely, one of your crew would have embarked as an asymptomatic carrier, allowing warp-speed distribution of the bl00dy thing across the universe, so that it could jump another species barrier and make their life a misery too.

 

(that's just to cheer everyone up)

 

Remember, in space no one can hear you sneeze and cough ..........  

[Dave John]

Hmm, were these condensing engines ? If so why ? The pipe from  the smokebox to the tank would suggest so, why else would it be there? In which case the tanks would need to be vented explaining the vertical pipe indicated above. 

 

NeilHBs version is excellent, but I do think that the tanks would have to be vented somehow. Note also the handrail connects to a device on the smokebox. Not sure but CR condensing engines used a similar arrangement to control the valve that diverted steam from the blast pipe to the tanks. 

 

 

This is my 29 class , which although a bit crude as a model indicates what I mean. The "steam" exit from the tanks is that vertical pipe just in front of the spectacle plate. The loop of pipe is to reduce condensate runback to the firebox , the same function as that domed pipe in a pipe shown above. 

 

The bit of rod from the handrail to the smokebox operates the diverter, blast pipe or condensing. 

 

Just me thinking too late at night. 

 

 

[Annie]

2 hours ago, Edwardian said:

I also thought about varnish.  In the absence of shellac, I was thinking of trying a product called "Knotting"; it's for sealing wood knots.

Knotting is basically shellac. (It's shellac James, but not as we know it.....)  I've not used it since it proved to be impossible to obtain in the rural town where I live, but due to the presence of a keen arts society fine varnish for preserving artwork was available off the shelf.  Basically my techique was to absolutely saturate the paper with the panelling doily marked out on it and hang it up in a place where it won't make a nuisance of itself. until it's completely dry.  After doing this the paper will cut cleanly without any ragged feathery edges.

I was a keen modeller in paper and card when I was still doing model-making, - partly because it's stunningly cheap, - but also because excellent results can be obtained that can be almost as good as anything done with plastics or metal.

[sem34090]

Off-topic rant ahead... please feel free to ignore me, it's probably for the best. I apologise for the source of the video, also.

I feel sorry for the coppers - not much choice about social distancing. Then again, you'd think they'd try and maintain the distancing when on their own or have some kind of face protection (or is it unnecessary?).

 

I expect we'll see a mass increase in the death rate in a couple of weeks though, thanks to the sort of stupidity that leads to this. I had hoped that such behaviour would be largely restricted to the likes of the USA, but alas not. I must admit, when this first started I was thinking of the Reichstag Fire and all that followed that implementation of emergency legislation ('Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of People and State') I think that allowed Adolf to set up shop. However, by most sensible accounts we've seen a government that isn't seizing the chance to use this event to have tyrannical control and establish a dictatorship and if anything seems too keen to relax the restrictions. The government will scarcely benefit from this, especially if they don't act in the population's best interests. If it were a so-called 'plandemic' in this country (China is an altogether more debatable matter, though I don't think they planned it myself) then what purpose would it serve the government? The economy is, I suspect (Haven't checked) not doing quite as well as usual, productivity is likely to be down, if it were ever leaked that it were planned the government would see almost instant overthrow most likely, and seriously - how much is really to be gained by the government from mass deaths? It's a ridiculous idea that the whole thing was planned in advance, certainly by our Government - they probably wouldn't know how!!!

 

Ironically, in their protest for 'freedom', this bunch of geniuses have probably set the lot of us back by a month or so, maybe more, as the number of cases will, no doubt, spike. Probably particularly amongst police officers (because the way these things go, the protesters -who caused this particular mess- will probably be fine and the officers will pay the price - sod's law) particularly in the cities affected, in about a fortnight.

 

Back to normal service. I'll probably delete this later.

[Annie]

Please be aware that I know very little about how all this works.

(Click on image to increase size)

 

 

More than you might ever what to know on the subject.

 

http://mikes.railhistory.railfan.net/r143.html

Edited May 17, 2020 by Annie
More information

[Annie]

8 minutes ago, sem34090 said:

Ironically, in their protest for 'freedom', this bunch of geniuses have probably set the lot of us back by a month or so, maybe more, as the number of cases will, no doubt, spike. Probably particularly amongst police officers (because the way these things go, the protesters -who caused this particular mess- will probably be fine and the officers will pay the price - sod's law) particularly in the cities affected, in about a fortnight.

Unfortunately Sem in any crisis there will always be those who act badly with their only concern being for themselves.

[Malcolm 0-6-0]

10 minutes ago, sem34090 said:

Off-topic rant ahead... please feel free to ignore me, it's probably for the best. I apologise for the source of the video, also.

I feel sorry for the coppers - not much choice about social distancing. Then again, you'd think they'd try and maintain the distancing when on their own or have some kind of face protection (or is it unnecessary?).

 

I expect we'll see a mass increase in the death rate in a couple of weeks though, thanks to the sort of stupidity that leads to this. I had hoped that such behaviour would be largely restricted to the likes of the USA, but alas not. I must admit, when this first started I was thinking of the Reichstag Fire and all that followed that implementation of emergency legislation ('Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of People and State') I think that allowed Adolf to set up shop. However, by most sensible accounts we've seen a government that isn't seizing the chance to use this event to have tyrannical control and establish a dictatorship and if anything seems too keen to relax the restrictions. The government will scarcely benefit from this, especially if they don't act in the population's best interests. If it were a so-called 'plandemic' in this country (China is an altogether more debatable matter, though I don't think they planned it myself) then what purpose would it serve the government? The economy is, I suspect (Haven't checked) not doing quite as well as usual, productivity is likely to be down, if it were ever leaked that it were planned the government would see almost instant overthrow most likely, and seriously - how much is really to be gained by the government from mass deaths? It's a ridiculous idea that the whole thing was planned in advance, certainly by our Government - they probably wouldn't know how!!!

 

Ironically, in their protest for 'freedom', this bunch of geniuses have probably set the lot of us back by a month or so, maybe more, as the number of cases will, no doubt, spike. Probably particularly amongst police officers (because the way these things go, the protesters -who caused this particular mess- will probably be fine and the officers will pay the price - sod's law) particularly in the cities affected, in about a fortnight.

 

Back to normal service. I'll probably delete this later.

 

Well I for one agree with your comments. I would have thought the toll in the UK was convincing enough for anyone who was having a fit of democratic vapours over the restrictions on contact etc. But there are idiots everywhere. Last weekend we had a similar but much smaller demo outside our state parliament house. About 50 -60 people running the gamut from anti-vaxxers (irony) through to conspiracy nut jobs grinding every axe they had in their tool sheds.