Deliberately Old-Fashioned 0 Scale - Chapter 1

[Nearholmer]

Trying to take my mind off the shocking and terrifying things in the news by a few very productive minutes mocking-up.

 

Probably doesn’t show up well in this photo, because of foreshortening and poor lighting,  but I’ve found a way of getting rid of an awkward crossing of a baseboard joint, increased the terminal platform length, and hugely increased the size of loco that can run around a train. This is the way to do it!

 

 

[Donw]

Going well I think.

 

Don

[Nearholmer]

Proper Spring has officially started, indicated by my plum tree blooming. It usually comes out 18th to 21st March, later in cold springs. 

 

[Edwardian]

Spring is here ....

 

 

[Hroth]

Spring is sprung!

The grass is ris,

I wonder where the birdies is?

 

...

 

As Edwardian spotted, I think Tom Lehrer answers that question.

 

4 hours ago, Edwardian said:

Spring is here ....

 

 

 

 

[Metropolitan H]

I know this is the season when a young mans sap is supposed ti rise - but I am no longer young, like most of the other responders to this thread! So what is the relevance of all the latest posts and why aren't we seeing the renaisance of Birlstone in all its refreshed "BR Grot" compactness - we need to see the new Nearholmer layout arising like a Pheonix from the ashes.

 

Regards

Chris H

 

P.S. - I know my own Deliberately Old Fashioned layout is in need of further progressing, but my excuse is the construction of a train of TR slate wagons to run behind the little steaming dragons "Talyllyn" and "Dolgoch" on the outdoor line - which must be tidied and ready for the invasion of the Grand-Childer-Beasts over Easter!

 

CH

[Metropolitan H]

3 hours ago, Hroth said:

Spring is sprung!

The grass is ris,

I wonder where the birdies is?

 

...

 

As Edwardian spotted, I think Tom Lehrer answers that question.

 

 

 

Spring is sprung!

The grass is ris,

I wonder where the birdies is?

 

The bird is on the wing,

But that is absurd as

The Wing is on the bird.

 

That is the version I grew up with! Similarly;

 

Why does a brown cow give white milk,

When it only eats green grass?

 

Regards

Chris H

Edited March 20, 2022 by Metropolitan H

[Nearholmer]

8 minutes ago, Metropolitan H said:

why aren't we seeing the renaisance of Birlstone

 

Rain on weekdays = progress on the layout.

 

Sun on weekdays = progress on a bike, round any available lanes and paths.

 

Last week was sunny; next week is forecast sunny.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[St Enodoc]

13 hours ago, Metropolitan H said:

Spring is sprung!

The grass is ris,

I wonder where the birdies is?

 

The bird is on the wing,

But that is absurd as

The Wing is on the bird.

 

That is the version I grew up with! Similarly;

 

Why does a brown cow give white milk,

When it only eats green grass?

 

Regards

Chris H

Spring is sprung

The grass is ris,

I wonder where the lawnmower is...

[Donw]

Well if you put your head out of the door today you will find the weather has been rebooted and we are back to january

 

Don

[F-UnitMad]

10 hours ago, Donw said:

Well if you put your head out of the door today you will find the weather has been rebooted and we are back to january

 

Don

Try turning it off, wait 30 seconds, and turn it back on again. 🤣

[Hroth]

9 hours ago, F-UnitMad said:

Try turning it off, wait 30 seconds, and turn it back on again. 🤣

Big Red Switch time...

 

[Nearholmer]

We are all clear on the distinction between ‘switch’ and ‘button’ here, I hope.

[Lacathedrale]

Finally read Paddington to Seagood and what a wonderful book it was!

 

This caught my eye and made me smile!

 

[Simond]

I use 3 link/screw couplings on my FS 7mm models.  I'm happy to take the time when shunting, to couple and uncouple, it's part of the immersion in the unreal model world.

 

Where it goes all wrong is corridor coaches.  It is simply not possible to couple them from above, and from the side, it's a trial of patience to say the very least.  And if you have all the bufferbeam paraphernalia like vacuum and steam heat hoses (and heaven help you ETH & air brakes if you are so modern in your tastes), you "may be some time".

 

David Jenkinson did offer a solution with his home made coaches, and there are some neat cast connector assemblies that can be inserted between coach and bogie, and connect to the bogie pin of the next vehicle.  I use kadees within rakes of coaches, and I am aware also of magnetic couplings.

 

But these are of limited effect in a fiddle yard where access is not easy, and in any case, not a great deal of help to attach to the loco/tender.

 

I'm pondering...

[Donw]

I also quite enjoy the coupling up with three links. As for coaches it may be easier if the screw couplings are made rigid.

 

Don

[Lacathedrale]

Has anyone much experience with clockwork 0 gauge? i.e. the Bing/BL stuff, rather than the Hornboy 0-4-0's! I'm debating a venture into the vintage/collectable space again and finding it hard to come to terms with either Dublo or 3-rail/clockwork!

[Nearholmer]

I have a couple of BL clockwork locos, and one Bing, as well as the rather exotic “controlled clockwork” ones, but TBH I’m neither expert nor a great fan. It’s a very different thing, and some people really warm to it, but not I.

 

What is it that you find hard to come to terms with about these things? IMO, HD is wonderful, just too small!

[Annie]

When I was still operating coarse scale 'O' layouts I had two 3 rail electric locos of my devising, but the rest were all clockwork.  I had a couple of locos with BL mechs which were superb, but even the Hornby 0-4-0 mechs can be made to perform reliably.

[sncf231e]

I run often some clockwork trains (see: http://sncf231e.nl/clockwork-or-wind-up-trains/).

The Bing/BL as well as the Hornby ones are good runners. I have however no experience with prototypical running of clockwork trains (which some people do (or did)).

Regards

Fred

[Lacathedrale]

Fred, I saw your videos on YouTube without realising it was you here :)

 

The problem I have @Nearholmer is that I just cannot seem to reconcile system vs scenic layouts. I want to operate a railway, not a moveable diorama; but I have neither the patience of Job nor the years of Methuselah to see a perfect synthesis of these two opposing desires i.e. a scenically accurate victorian P4 system layout.

 

As 'toy trains', tinplate is immune to considerations of scale distances, train lengths and track geometry - you can't be upset with a dog because it doesn't know algebra. As soon as you cross the rubicon into 'model railways', there is an expectation of realism, and all of the shortcomings of underscale coaches, recessed glazing, and H0 sleeper spacing are placed in sharp relief - to say nothing of four coach trains and geometry thus to support a system.

 

 

[Nearholmer]

Well, yes, without access to huge amounts of money, time, and space, one has a choice between compromise and stasis. But, that isn’t a problem unique to toy/model trains, is it?

 

Personally, I wouldn’t recommend retro-modelling as a compromise-substitute for modern hi-fi modelling; I think you have to love it for what it is, to be drawn to it on its own merits. Essentially, you have to instinctively know that is is better than modern hi-fi.

 

The middle way, adopted by vast numbers of people, is to go semi-hi-fi, by making extensive use of r-t-r material, adopting commercial 0, 00, or N, and maybe that is the compromise that will suit you too.

[goldfish]

3 hours ago, Lacathedrale said:

As 'toy trains', tinplate is immune to considerations of scale distances, train lengths and track geometry - you can't be upset with a dog because it doesn't know algebra. As soon as you cross the rubicon into 'model railways', there is an expectation of realism, and all of the shortcomings of underscale coaches, recessed glazing, and H0 sleeper spacing are placed in sharp relief - to say nothing of four coach trains and geometry thus to support a system.

 

The distinction between 'toy trains' and 'model railways' is a purely arbitrary construct in peoples minds. Whatever gauge or scale you chose all that is laid down is a set of wheel and track standards, what you chose to do with those standards is purely your choice. If you want to run Thomas the Tank Engine on S7 track, or run fine scale stock on tinplate track, you are perfectly free to do so.  It might offend the odd narrow minded purist, but that is their problem. What you need to do, is decide what you want to do and do it. At the end of the day, if you are happy why worry about some implied convection.

 

[Donw]

While I agree it is all a personal choice there is an implied onus that the stock and the layout should be of equal standard. A Fine scale loco looks better on a test track with no scenics than running through a toy train station the same is true the other way round . One place where you can get away with it is a garden layout. The natural scenery of plants is obviously not sale so a mix of toy trains and scale models do not offend well if they are in different trains it helps.

If you want to run an interesting operational system choosing a middle standard works best, in 00 older RTR locos can run with modern ones but would stand out where everything else matches the P4 ethos. 

 

Don

[brianusa]

On my tinplate layout, I run a mixture of Hornby and American trains and accessories.  It would be difficult to try this with scale models, although some US trains are close to, if not scale.  They all happily run together on the same layout.

  

After a long hiatus, I am finally able to return to the train room and run trains after my 'Hip op'.  The track is a bit dirty but most things seem to work.  The batteries in the US locos need charging and  other things will no doubt show up but a least its not so bad as I feared!🙂

Brian.