Focalplane Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 Saving your pennies for the Heljan Large Prairie I expect Paul. This and the 43XX are locos I am looking forward to running. PGH phoned this evening to say I now have a chugging Minerva Pannier. I have been happy with YouChoos Flame 12 cube speakers so far, but a Zimo double speaker is being tried out in the Pannier. It will be running on a colliery layout until I build a layout of my own. Larry I have cancelled my order for the Large Prairie in favour of a Dapol/Lionheart Light Prairie. These were often used on the "Barmouth Line" and were also used on the Cambrian main line as well, so a frequent visitor to Penmaenpool. My favourite photo is of a Light Prairie piloting a heavy excursion near Penmaenpool. I think it was on a Talyllyn Railway Special but the photo is in France. My Light Prairie will be early BR black and weathered, number as yet undecided. But, yes, the pennies are also being saved for a mogul or two - the mainstay of the Barmouth Line. The first mogul will be 5378, of which I have a photo outside Penmaenpool shed. I am sure it would have been a frequent visitor to Carrog. I am off to Huws Gray in Porthmadog this afternoon to have a look at their 2"x2" timber. Believe it or not I am thinking of taking some back to France for the layout legs! When working on the cottage here last year I bought a lot of 2"x1" from Huws Gray and it was the best quality I have seen in many years - not one length was wasted. Carrog Station in O Gauge has set a new standard - you have set the bar very high! Paul 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted February 13, 2018 Author Share Posted February 13, 2018 Job's stopped now due to lack of matt black acrylic paint that I use for weathering stonework. I hadn't realised Humbrol hasn't been available for some time and will never be according to their website, so I have ordered alternative acrylic for delivery next week. The 7mm signal box and station building provided a distraction from the emotional roller-coaster of recent months. Under normal circumstances, I do wonder if they would have ever been started seeing as I normally earn a crust this time of year. So to this end, I want to thank everyone who sent their good wishes. My wife has turned the corner, she is out of hospital, and we can expect a slow but steady recovery now. Larry G. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 Nice News Larry, please give her my best wishes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PMP99 Posted February 13, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 13, 2018 Larry I have cancelled my order for the Large Prairie in favour of a Dapol/Lionheart Light Prairie. These were often used on the "Barmouth Line" and were also used on the Cambrian main line as well, so a frequent visitor to Penmaenpool. My favourite photo is of a Light Prairie piloting a heavy excursion near Penmaenpool. I think it was on a Talyllyn Railway Special but the photo is in France. My Light Prairie will be early BR black and weathered, number as yet undecided. But, yes, the pennies are also being saved for a mogul or two - the mainstay of the Barmouth Line. The first mogul will be 5378, of which I have a photo outside Penmaenpool shed. I am sure it would have been a frequent visitor to Carrog. I am off to Huws Gray in Porthmadog this afternoon to have a look at their 2"x2" timber. Believe it or not I am thinking of taking some back to France for the layout legs! When working on the cottage here last year I bought a lot of 2"x1" from Huws Gray and it was the best quality I have seen in many years - not one length was wasted. Carrog Station in O Gauge has set a new standard - you have set the bar very high! Paul Apologies for going a little off thread from Coachmann's excellent modelling. Paul, I think the photo you refer to is of the 1964 Talyllyn AGM special entering Penmaenpool. However, the small prairie 4555 was inside. The pilot was 7827 Lydham Manor. The two locos came on at Ruabon. By that time 4555 was a 'preserved' loco having been bought by two leading figures in the TRPS and was in Great Western livery. It was the last TRPS special to run over the Ruabon route. I stand to be corrected but I didn't think the small prairies were used much on the Barmouth-Ruabon line due to limited water capacity. You are certainly correct that they saw service on the main Cambrian line. Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold TheSignalEngineer Posted February 13, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 13, 2018 Job's stopped now due to lack of matt black acrylic paint that I use for weathering stonework. I hadn't realised Humbrol hasn't been available for some time and will never be according to their website, so I have ordered alternative acrylic for delivery next week. The 7mm signal box and station building provided a distraction from the emotional roller-coaster of recent months. Under normal circumstances, I do wonder if they would have ever been started seeing as I normally earn a crust this time of year. So to this end, I want to thank everyone who sent their good wishes. My wife has turned the corner, she is out of hospital, and we can expect a slow but steady recovery now. Larry G. Good to hear some better news.Regarding Humbrol, after production went to China I had trouble with Matt Black either not covering evenly or drying gloss no matter how well it was stirred. I started using Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black. This morning I was in the local art & craft shop for a couple of items and noticed that the latest delivery of Humbrol enamels were made in the UK so hopefully the China product is now getting out of the system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PMP99 Posted February 13, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 13, 2018 I'm not sure why water capacity would be a problem. Granted, not all the station had the watering facility, but Ruabon, Trevor, Llangollen, Corwen, Llanewchllyn, and Dolgelley did. I should think coal would be the limiting factor. Small Prairie's did not generally work the route even though they were common on the Cambrian Coast section. On the other hand, some Class 31XX Large Prairies were authorized You may be right, perhaps it was coal rather than water, but either way we seem to be in agreement they didn't see much use. Didn't know about 31xx class. Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focalplane Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 Thanks for all the Barmouth Line 45xx information. I suppose I am OK if the prairie came on at Dolgelley, but this means it was probably not shedded at Croes Newydd, which is what I had assumed. I hate it when my memory lets me down and the reference books are in another country! Larry, great news! Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PMP99 Posted February 13, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 13, 2018 Thanks for all the Barmouth Line 45xx information. I suppose I am OK if the prairie came on at Dolgelley, but this means it was probably not shedded at Croes Newydd, which is what I had assumed. I hate it when my memory lets me down and the reference books are in another country! Larry, great news! Paul At the end of the day you can run what you like and it does look like those Dapol 45xx tanks are going to be very nice! Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Mikkel Posted February 13, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 13, 2018 The first loco for the new layout - a Minerva Pannier - has been fitted for DCC Sound. Thanks for that, it's interesting to see the Minerva chassis. Looks like the mechanism is sufficiently low to fit a saddle tank over it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted February 13, 2018 Author Share Posted February 13, 2018 Whilst the building has ground to a halt for the time-being, I painted the wooden lean-too and dropped it temporarily in place tonight. It is barely visible from platform level yet it does the job of hiding a lot of unknown detail.... 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrkirtley800 Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 (edited) Larry I hadn’t realised Mary had been in hospital, I haven’t been keeping up with RMW. My best wishes to you both and hope she makes a full. recovery. Derek Edited February 13, 2018 by Mrkirtley800 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted February 14, 2018 Author Share Posted February 14, 2018 (edited) At the end of the day you can run what you like and it does look like those Dapol 45xx tanks are going to be very nice! This is very true of course, but when ones layout is a historical model railway, the approach tends towards a believable historical atmosphere. I believe that is what Focalplane is aiming for, hence his concern about whether a Small Prairie would be found on the Dee Valley route in BR days. While I found a reasonably viable excuse to run a 4mm 'Grange' by pretending the route had been upgraded to red-route during the war, the operation of a LMS 'Crab' was a real history-stretcher(!), only made possible because of the connection with the LMS at Corwen. With me, I choose a 'period' and then set about creating a sense of geographical place and railway identity. This happens long before any locos and rolling stock are added. Edited February 14, 2018 by coachmann 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Happy Hippo Posted February 15, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 15, 2018 Sounds great! Can you synchronise the wheels to the exhaust beat now please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted February 15, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 15, 2018 Might be me but I can't hear the vacuum pump when the regulator is closed. It's there when the regulator is open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted February 15, 2018 Author Share Posted February 15, 2018 (edited) Sounds great! Can you synchronise the wheels to the exhaust beat now please? After half an hour of tearing my hair out trying CV different values, I eventually found 102 was right at shunting speeds, but useless at higher speeds. Chuff rate has been a sore point with me for several months now, yet it wasn't the problem it currently is at one time. Edited February 15, 2018 by coachmann Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted February 15, 2018 Author Share Posted February 15, 2018 Might be me but I can't hear the vacuum pump when the regulator is closed. It's there when the regulator is open. You got me beat there as I cannot hear a vac pump at all. In reducing the volume of the clanking, I lost it completely on coasting, so a compromise was adopted. I personally think the Zimo double speaker has too much bass for the current program...........The whistles sound dreadful for example and lack purity. This particular soundfile was okay with a Flame 12 single cube speaker when it was in a 4mm Dukedog. I have another soundfile waiting in the wings from a different sound producer and will give that a test in due course with the double speaker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post coachmann Posted February 15, 2018 Author Popular Post Share Posted February 15, 2018 I weathered the station building this morning.... 24 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted February 16, 2018 Author Share Posted February 16, 2018 (edited) I measured up some key areas of the 4mm Carrog yesterday in preparation for ripping it all up. Then I converted the measurement to 7mm and was surprised.....nay disappointed, to find the toe of the lead turnout would be only inches from the doorway! It is certainly NOT as I imagined. So some compression is definitely called for and I may end up with 3-coach train platforms. Most local trains were that length anyway and those that were longer didn't stop in the wayside stations anyway seeing as they were carrying holiday makers from cities to Barmouth. I am still aiming for trains having a bit of a run across fields before exiting the shed. Edited February 16, 2018 by coachmann 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted February 16, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 16, 2018 You got me beat there as I cannot hear a vac pump at all. In reducing the volume of the clanking, I lost it completely on coasting, so a compromise was adopted. I personally think the Zimo double speaker has too much bass for the current program...........The whistles sound dreadful for example and lack purity. This particular soundfile was okay with a Flame 12 single cube speaker when it was in a 4mm Dukedog. I have another soundfile waiting in the wings from a different sound producer and will give that a test in due course with the double speaker. Just audible at about 0.47 and again at 0.59 just as the regulator is closed and clearly aubible at 1.59 and a little after. Sorry to hear about Mary - didn't realise that was happening until I read further up this page and hope she is well on the road to recovery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted February 17, 2018 Author Share Posted February 17, 2018 (edited) Carrog has been painted as it was in BR days, not heritage days. Some detail shots taken tonight that may be impossible in sunlight.... The well known decorative balcony. Note the painted cream double bargeboards... Station entrance canopy and guttering detail.... Gents lavatory and station masters yard... The old wooden lean-too.... Edited February 17, 2018 by coachmann 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shedman Posted February 17, 2018 Share Posted February 17, 2018 That is absolutely fantastic! Thanks for posting. Can't wait to see the opposite platform building! Trevor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post coachmann Posted February 17, 2018 Author Popular Post Share Posted February 17, 2018 Corwen Glazing turned up this morn' to fit some of the windows. Truth to tell, I forgot to make them all a few weeks ago! These photos show the simplified 1950's paint style with cream roof support beams and brown bargeboards on the side of the station house... Carrog as it is today with all cream bargeboards and brown roof support beams. Also newly added bay window at the side..... 25 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lacathedrale Posted February 17, 2018 Share Posted February 17, 2018 That's bloody beautiful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve fay Posted February 17, 2018 Share Posted February 17, 2018 Superb piece of work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthernBlue80s Posted February 17, 2018 Share Posted February 17, 2018 Top Draw. Respect Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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