Castle Aching

[Caley Jim]

Should the cab front and rear not have the dark green edging with lining between that at the light green?  Also probably some edging and lining around the bunker flare?

 

Jim

[Edwardian]

26 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

Is that a light green panel on either side of the saddle tank, or is it intended to be a single panel, i.e. the top of the tank light green? Or to put it another way, what colour is the dome?

 

On each side. Domes are brass!

[NeilHB]

Love the livery James, it looks great! 

[Northroader]

I think I’ve got the solution to the CA track dilemma, Keep it simple!

[Schooner]

On 05/09/2022 at 22:05, Edwardian said:

Proposed WNR livery scheme as applied to a saddle tank:

Yum! No. 2, a '70s Fox Walker = Hornby B2 conversion?

 

On 04/09/2022 at 09:41, Edwardian said:

I would love not to have a break in visual continuity at this point...

 

On 04/09/2022 at 09:41, Edwardian said:

...in the yard I'd need no more than one or two lines leading to and from cassette spaces?

 

I think we may have already had a similar version, but would something like the above appeal? 

 

 

There have been a few little changes here and there, so it's worth casting our collective eye around the place and running (and shunting) an imaginary train or two to check how things work. The only alteration I can actually remember is on the cattle dock connection at BM - a long curved point (SL-187) for a short Y (SL-197), thus:

• Aesthetic benefit - less extreme wiggle, which I liked but perhaps was a bit much. The idea of it being a change brought in with the station re-modeling could still be shown in the ballasting, if desired.
• Practical benefit - simpler! A 10-wagon cattle dock (far end) and a 5-6 wagon (end) loading dock at the near end. The straight section at the 'start' of the cattle dock is c.150mm long, plenty for uncoupling, or a dedicated 'prize cattle' pen or whatever, but the curve itself is well over an 8' radius, so shouldn't cause too many operational or visual issues.
• Practical downside - nominal radius of 610mm through the Y turnout. Should be fine, but would welcome opinions. The same goes for the myriad curved and three-way turnouts... [EDIT: Scrap that, just seen I've already been able to ditch them all!]

On slipped crossings

There remains a single slip in the running lines at BM North

If I've got it right, the curved route through the crossing will only be used by locos running light for turning (or if the branch platform is used for Down goods traffic). A passenger train should always be able to run straight. Would this be acceptable to the BoT?

 

@Northroader Ideal!

 

Edited September 7, 2022 by Schooner

[Nearholmer]

1 hour ago, Schooner said:

I think we may have already had a similar version, but would something like the above appeal? 

 

Maybe I suggested in last time, but I'm a big fan of roller blinds used as "flying backscenes" to hide FYs. Bracket one off the wall, or suspend it from the ceiling, and put scenery (you could even glue artificial foliage to it) on the lower c12-18", so that when it is raised the scenic part doesnt go around the roller. If you choose a blind in a very pale grey-with-a-hint-of-blue, I think it works better that a solid standing back-scene, although even they can be surprisingly effective if the same colour as the wall beyond.

[Edwardian]

21 hours ago, Caley Jim said:

Should the cab front and rear not have the dark green edging with lining between that at the light green?  Also probably some edging and lining around the bunker flare?

 

Jim

 

The conventional treatment for these 'panel' liveries is in favour of all dark green cab front and back sheets, see right hand side of the drawing below.   I had thought to vary this by having a single colour, but the lighter green, but the example below uses the darker, border, colour. 

 

I base this on the two examples from the Tanfield, which in part inspired the WNR livery.

 

 

 

The alternative to a single colour is to have the panelling on the cab front and back sheets, see the left-hand side of the drawing below. An example of this would be Stroudley's IEG.

 

This would be more consistent with the treatment of the tank front and would be my preference. 

 

 

Incidentally, the WNR livery is based on a combination of the Tanfield livery pictured above and the livery worn by it's Wellington:

 

[Compound2632]

To get all philosophical, the question is: do you see the livery as light green with dark green borders or dark green with light green panels?

[Edwardian]

14 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

To get all philosophical, the question is: do you see the livery as light green with dark green borders or dark green with light green panels?

 

It's an interesting and I think relevant question.

 

There is a definite answer to it, and you may have guessed it. For me, WNR livery is the lighter mid-green with dark green borders.

 

The panel treatment of the saddle tank is something of the outlier here, I have to accept.  In all other cases the dark green is generally confined to a border.  Perhaps think in terms of T W Worsdell's NE livery or GNR livery.

 

 

 

[Edwardian]

How about this version?

 

[Compound2632]

Looking at that drawing, I realise I don't understand the relationship between the rear spectacle plate and the bunker flare. Since the spectacle plate is in the same plane as the bunker rear, the purpose of the flare is unclear. (I had been simply going to remark that I wasn't sure the lower edge of the spectacle plate would be lined, but then I became puzzled.)

[Edwardian]

2 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

Looking at that drawing, I realise I don't understand the relationship between the rear spectacle plate and the bunker flare. Since the spectacle plate is in the same plane as the bunker rear, the purpose of the flare is unclear. (I had been simply going to remark that I wasn't sure the lower edge of the spectacle plate would be lined, but then I became puzzled.)

 

Judging from the drawing I would say that a cab roof extension and rear cab sheet were early mods to the original design.

 

I felt it looked better to extend the border around the base of the panel on the front and rear spectacle plates. 

[Compound2632]

5 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

Judging from the drawing I would say that a cab roof extension and rear cab sheet were early mods to the original design.

 

What is the prototype?

[Edwardian]

23 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

What is the prototype?

 

Fox Walker, as supplied to the Great Yarmouth and Stalham Light Railway in 1877. and eventually therefore the MGN. Those are Essery's drawings I've used to trial the livery. 

[NeilHB]

I think that looks rather bloomin' good! 

 

Is the Essery book worth getting James? I'm been wondering about it for a while now, but hadn't seen a copy at a show to peruse before buying it. 

[Edwardian]

15 minutes ago, NeilHB said:

I think that looks rather bloomin' good! 

 

Is the Essery book worth getting James? I'm been wondering about it for a while now, but hadn't seen a copy at a show to peruse before buying it. 

 

It's a pleasurable and useful volume.

 

I find the Essery and the Clarke volume complement each other, though the Essery has the edge. He only includes drawings of the non-Midland designed MGN locos, and not even all of them, but text, drawings and photographs are all good. 

 

There is a useful 'outline' chapter about the MGN and one on traffic, then a chapter on locos inherited by the Eastern & Midland, then one on E&M's locos, then a chapter on each of the MGN era classes and a final chapter on liveries. 

 

You have to forgive him for thinking the Midland was the most important thing about the Midland & Great Northern and its constituents!

 

In many ways the West Norfolk resembles what the Eastern & Midland might have been had it not merely turned out to be a stalking horse for the Great Eastern's sneaky rivals and gone the Joint Line route!

 

Currently Plenty of Copies Available most of them cheaper than Amazon (and who, anyway would want to support Bezos, the Butcher of Tolkien?)

 

[Edwardian]

Next up, the all third

 

 

[Edwardian]

RIP HM Queen

 

 

 

Edited September 8, 2022 by Edwardian

[Caley Jim]

1 minute ago, Edwardian said:

RIP HM Queen

Long live the King. 

 

Jim 

[Edwardian]

Just got back from the school run and heard.  I'm crying, not ashamed to say. God bless her.

[Edwardian]

 

[Caley Jim]

One of my earliest memories is sitting in the living room of my grandmother's house in Hamilton, where I and my parents lived at the time, and hearing the announcement on the radio of her father's passing.

 

Jim

[Edwardian]

7 minutes ago, Caley Jim said:

One of my earliest memories is sitting in the living room of my grandmother's house in Hamilton, where I and my parents lived at the time, and hearing the announcement on the radio of her father's passing.

 

Jim

 

I swore my oath of allegiance to her in 1991. Not to the country, or a constitution, or to a flag, let alone to some damn politician, but to her. A few years later, she granted me a commission. I took these things very seriously. That is just one of the almost endless ways in which the Queen represented something higher, something that gave meaning and cohesion to so much in our societies. 

 

And it was more than a mere figurehead that she provided, she led an unparalleled life of service and sacrifice and must have been an inspiration and a reassuring presence for many.

 

She was deservedly loved and will be profoundly mourned.

 

 

[Caley Jim]

When I was in the Scouts the promise at that time began 'On my honour I promise to do my best to do my duty to God and the Queen,.....'.  I have always tried to do both.

 

I can appreciate how those who have served in the forces will feel her passing particularly.

 

Jim

[Hroth]

2 hours ago, Caley Jim said:

Long live the King. 

 

Jim 

 

It came as a bit of a shock when Liz Truss ended her statement in Downing Street this evening with "God Save The King". It's going to take a conscious effort to remember to use king instead of queen.

 

A sad day.