AFK (Altonian Complementary Railways)

[ianathompson]

 

The work at Lacono continues.

It is not being helped by warm weather and the cricket season!

 

 

With the layout cleared of tools and bits and pieces attention has turned to providing the railway infrastructure. It is obviously better to have this in place before ballasting rather than trying to bed it in afterwards. Mass production of point levers is seen here. I have recently seen some nice 3D printed models of such items but I stick by my old low-tech methods. The results will be a crude facsimile of the prototype but they will be easily repaired or replaced if necessary. There is also more enjoyment in fabricating models than there is in purchasing them “ready to go”. I certainly will not be going down the resin printing road. Four water columns are similarly being batch built.

 

 

The point levers have been fitted onto their bases. These were previously planted in the yard. As can be seen the long arms present a potential clearance problem so a test train is running past them. This was formed of two finished vehicles and a Großraumwagen, the closest things to hand that might catch. The four levers operate the double slip and there is not much room. The furthest one has had to be slightly moved. Two others underwent a similar process. When I am totally satisfied with them the levers will be removed and the weights filed in with modelling putty.

 

 

Testing to destruction was carried out with one of the machine trolleys, for want of a better description. The new bulldozer is out of gauge, anyway, and will need watching if used in a session. It has currently taken to demolishing the floodlight pylons. At least it is fairly light and does not cause too much damage. The long arms of the point levers were caught by the wagon in a number of places and had to be adjusted. The double slip, seen here, was a particular pinch point because of lack of space.

 

 

The point levers have been altered and the long arms cut off. They have been painted in Swedish colours, although they will be toned down later. As this is the centre of the yard a telephone box has been provided on the adjacent pylons to prevent too many delays. The clearance tests have also revealed problems with the double slip which has had to be fettled. We are talking alterations of about 0.02 mms in the vertical and horizontal directions. It is easy to understand why the prototype avoided them like the plague where was the space available to sideline them.

 

 

Attention has been turned towards the cable runs for the various items of equipment. Each signal needs connecting to the box, via the relay room, and the telephones also need cables. The floodlight cabling has also been put in. Some of this work was previously done, hence the contrast between the painted troughs and the unpainted ones. Next to come will be the relay boxes and the covers for the two wire pointwork. The water crane for the yard has been roughed out although the clearances have not been checked yet. The corrugated iron roofs are also in their latest position as I consider the best arrangement for the shanty town that houses the men who work the yard.

 

Ian T

Edited June 20, 2023 by ianathompson
typo

[St Enodoc]

11 hours ago, ianathompson said:

alterations of about 0.02 mms

You cannot be serious!

 

J. McEnroe

[ianathompson]

5 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

You cannot be serious!

 

I definitely haven't measured it but it seems like that!

 

The main problem, as always, is the transporters.

They run upon highly modified Bachmann bogies (maybe Commonwealth, I can't remember).

These have been inverted which gives a very tight clearance above the track.

If the blade and the strock rail are slightly out of register the bogies catch and can sometimes derail or drag.

 

The double slip, with four sets of blades in total, is a prime target for these bogies.

In addition I believe that the Germanic double slips operated with two tie-bars, rather like a Peco model.

I think that there were four independent tiebars on the typical British example.

Either way, mine has four independent sets of blades.

Trying to solder four blades to a single tiebar without causing delamination and keeping all four blades tight against the stock rails would be a game and a half!

 

The transporters drag in other places and the last report showed a  train standing further down the line waiting for further tests.

So far it has not proceeded any further!

 

A marathon day yesterday saw almost all the concrete troughing made and installed.

Today it is the turn of the mechanical points equipment.

Then the equipment cases will be added.

It is like a 3D puzzle trying to fit all the stuff in without fouling passing vehicles and locos!

 

Ian T

 

[ianathompson]

The representation of the prototype’s mundane infrastructure is something that seems to escape many modellers attention yet it adds to the atmosphere. The more glamorous aspects such as long viaducts, swing bridges or tunnels, for example, receive their fair share of attention but who wants to know about point rodding, facing point locks and signal cables?! I suspect that in many cases the equipment is not represented because the layout’s owner does not have sufficient knowledge to provide it. The AFK installation at Lacono Cittavecchia uses German hardware for the points but the signalling has been converted to electric operation. Much scouring of German technical texts and articles has provided my basic knowledge although I would by no means claim to be an expert.

 

 It is unusual for a narrow gauge railway to go to the lengths of providing such equipment but the traffic levels here demand it. It is possible to find NG railways on the continent where such equipment is provided. The Swiss NG railways such as the RhatischeBahn provide examples, as do modern Italian and Spanish railways. The Porto Trinidade terminus of the Portuguese railways also operated with colour light signalling and steam power.

 

 

The underneath of the signal box has now acquired a variety of signalling hardware. In theory it should be festooned with the cables needed for the “double wire” system typically used on German installations, but this might be going one step too far. There should be 27 points and derailers worked from LaC box and therefore 54 wires. The derailers were the equivalent of trap points in British systems. I will be honest and state that I am not sure whether the derailers should have balance weights but I have added them. The whole caboodle certainly looks a lot more impressive as a result! The “balance weights” were the equivalent of compensators in the British system and kept the wires in tension. There should be a lot more but many are “hidden behind the train shed wall”. That avoids making them!

My knowledge of the finer details of German signalling systems is sketchy and I choose to follow Bavarian practice which varies from the more common examples. If any one more knowledgeable than myself can find fault please tell me, although you might receive a “Rule 1 applies” in response! As can be seen the hardware is a series of crude models, the only virtue of which is that they were cheap and relatively easy to knock up.

 

 

The compensators were generally quite large and often grouped together, presumably for ease of maintenance. There was a smaller variety, seen below the box in the previous photo, for shorter pulls. The entire space between the main line and the siding is now occupied, as was anticipated when the initial work was done nearly twenty years ago. The location cases, or relay cabinets, work the signalling system although these are still awaiting connections to the cable trough. The clear glass cylinders will, in the fullness of time, become the two tone bells associated with the Bavarian signalling system. The next job is to finish the troughing, especially below the box, and to paint the hardware.

 

 

The work beneath the box has been completed and painted. As much as anything this is to show up areas missed by the paintbrush, such as the tensioner in the foreground. I always find it difficult to get a good first covering with acrylic paints. The wiring for the points run around the wheels and enters the metal trough in the foreground. I suppose that a couple of score marks with a knife would aid in suggesting that the covers were removable for maintenance. The discovery of an unconnected electrical cable run necessitated slight alterations to the concrete troughs as can be seen when compared to the first photo. The intention is cover everything with paint then ballast it and then come back to add weathering etc.  The modelling is suggestive rather than accurate with the intention of hiding the worst excesses beneath the ballast.

 

Ian T

[ianathompson]

 

“Okay mate you’re good to go.

Wait for the Dodd.

I’ll get on the phone and ask for clearance.”

 

The yard foreman surveys the “railway desert” that forms his kingdom.

Not much to see here apart from railway infrastructure.

I suppose that the cabling duct and the coupling poles, even on their stand, could cause a trip hazard, although the floodlights are supposed to combat that.

Wouldn’t be the first time that I measured my length by tripping over signal wires in the dead of night!

Oh, and I occasionally received a mild reprimand for the use of “Dodd”.

It’s not a Dodd, it’s a miniature shunting signal, or some such mouthful.

 

The first section of ballasting has been laid.

A lot of ungummed point rods later, with stone being knocked from the inside of the rail, and the locos can actually move around the yard.

Stage 2 beckons.

Oh what joy!

 

Ian T

Edited June 26, 2023 by ianathompson
inaccuracy

[St Enodoc]

7 minutes ago, ianathompson said:

Oh, and I occasionally received a mild reprimand for the use of “Dodd”.

Quite right too. It's not a Dodd, it's a dummy!

[ianathompson]

1 hour ago, St Enodoc said:

Quite right too. It's not a Dodd, it's a dummy!

 

No its not!

Its a position light miniature shunting signal or some other gobbledegook!

 

Its interesting how different places used different names for the aforesaid.

Having worked in an ex GER area they were always (Tommy) Dodds.

Dolls, dummies and dwarves were also used elsewhere.

Any advance on that?!

 

I would like to know what they were called in the ex GNoSR area, out of personal interest.

This used Stephens drop flaps, as seen a couple of posts back on my N gauge layout.

 

Edit: my mistake, they were posted here.

 

Ian T

Edited June 26, 2023 by ianathompson

[31A]

5 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Quite right too. It's not a Dodd, it's a dummy!

It's a Dodd where I come from!

 

Where I am now, some call them Dollies.

[ianathompson]

 

The southern end of Gasafabrikatastrato yard has acquired a hutted encampment.

Its haphazard ramshackle nature, with no buildings quite in line with each other, suggests that it grew up incrementally.

From left to right we have a compressor room for cement traffic, a mess room with toilet extension, behind the groundframe with the rusted roof. In the foreground we have the yard office.

These items have to be squeezed into a small space and their position is very precise to allow traffic to pass on all sides.

Once they have been positively located they will be left for later finishing because ballasting is the priority during the warm weather.

 

 

There is little latitude in the location of the yard office.

It already obscures the shunt signal from the near loop but relatively few trains depart from this nowadays.

Any that do will have to check that the signal is off before pulling out.

 

The working of the signal might also be changed.

Previously, when the shunters had a good view of proceedings whilst standing in the hut, it was assumed to “go back” every time that a shunt move passed it. 

Now that the view is obscured it seems likely that it will simply stand “off” once it has been released by the main box and cleared by GaS groundframe.

 

The siding to the left was originally presumed to serve both a tank farm and cement silos “across the road” via a tunnel with pipes in it.

This was a little far fetched but I turned a blind eye.

The development of the huts has rendered this untenable and the tank farm has been “moved” into the depths of the Danulbo quarter served by the Kapra Pordeĵo (or Goat Pen) branch.

This has been made easier by the hacking of the hole into the backscene and the use of the cassette.

For the time being the cement silos remain “across the road” although they too could migrate if necessary.

 

 

The latest view of the T3 shows the engineers in their element!

So far its SNAFU.

One blade sprung from a tie bar, one tie bar jammed with ballast and glue, one signal now “black”, one traction circuit disconnected and a loose wire beneath the baseboard that cannot be identified.

Just like the real thing! Isn’t ballasting fun?!

 

The new sidings, in the distance, have subsided like a colliery branch thanks to their gimcrack construction.

A strut, which has to be removable to allow access to the hidden pointwork, has been inserted causing much of the wiring damage outlined above.

 

Addendum

 

The ballasting has eventually been finished.

Unfortunately, in a separate place at a different time, the layout’s power supply was accidentally interfered with which resulted in loss of traction and signalling power. Two days were spent sorting this out before the final ballasting could be signed off, following the usual loss of power and point blade adjustments.

 

The next job is to build additional storage shelves but hopefully it will not be too long before I can return to finishing the station building.

 

Ian T

[ianathompson]

It has been a few weeks since I last updated.

Work has been proceeding on the development of Lacono Cittavecchia but it has mainly shifted to fiddly details connected with finishing the buildings off.

Someone, I think it might have been Iain Rice, once commented about how long this took.

 

 

The Post Office sorting office is “finished” although one or two minor details await attention. It also has no roof but as it is at the back of the layout, and not too obvious, it is unlikely to receive one.

I had thought about making a sign for it but decided not to.

Everyone in Lacono knows what it is and too many model railways are spoilt by unlikely signage.

The provincial government’s building is visible in the trees in the background.

 

 

The main station building also nears completion.

This took forever to paint. It is also a long flimsy piece of plastic made from seven kit parts.

Despite extensive reinforcing behind the façade one or two joints needed attention.

The parts came from Kittle Hobby and were intended to make a factory.

I ordered a job lot near the end of the production run, some years ago, with this role in mind.

They have been out of production for years, I think.

The original parts just had two windows, as can be seen next to the Booking Hall.

Some were converted into doors although the Booking Hall arch required major surgery.

I would not like to contemplate starting from scratch. The doors for the Booking Hall are lying on platform 2/3 awaiting fitting.

This is a potentially awkward job because the façade slots out, although this unlikely to ever take place again, making open doors a delicate addition to it.

Three shadow boxes have been incorporated to imply that there is something behind the façade.

The lobby for the Restaurant, beside the relay cabinet, is just visible, but the one for the Parcels Office needs making.

 

 

The Booking Hall is a large shadow box, again set at the rear of the layout.

It is fairly basic piece of modelling thrown together from bits and pieces.

The two seated passengers, from Woodland Scenics, and therefore slightly underscale at 1:48, have been toned down.

In this case it simply meant attention to their hair and faces.

Opinions differ but I am not a great fan of anything other than flesh on the faces.

Some people go into great detail painting eyeballs etc, as Woodland Scenics tend to, but I feel that this is because they know what is there.

If you look at a good painting the artist paints what can be seen, implying that there is more there than is shown.

With someone standing at a distance so that they are the size of an O gauge figure I doubt that you will see any facial details.

 

It is apparent from the photo that the shadow box does not seat very well, which will require attention.

If this cannot easily be sorted out the doors on the right side of the arch will be added in the closed position.

Fortunately the side is separate from the front so the box should be accessible with a bit of scrambling.

 

Ian T

[ianathompson]

 

 

 

The framework of the train shed is finished and has received a coat of paint.

As per usual with anything constructed by the AFK it does not bear close scrutiny!

If you want to see a well constructed station canopy, look in this month’s issue of Model Railway Journal.

This model is in the Northern Premier League compared to that.

Trying to join SM32 brass rail, even with a high Watt soldering iron is no picnic.

I also rediscovered, by unsoldering one, that the longitudinal stays are made from two rails lap jointed.

 

The painting is only half complete as this photo was taken as it dried.

The shed will be turned over and painted from below and then inspected for “misses”.

Once this has been done we then come to the thorny problem of glazing it.

Thorny, because no two panels are either square or identical.

Perhaps I could leave the glass off and claim that it was bombed out by the Luftwaffe in the war!

 

Ian T

[St Enodoc]

40 minutes ago, ianathompson said:

Perhaps I could leave the glass off and claim that it was bombed out by the Luftwaffe in the war!

I reckon the glass was removed so that in the event of bombing it wouldn't cause injury, then at the end of the war nobody could find it because the local spiv had sold it pane by pane to folk rebuilding their homes. Times being hard and supplies being short, it was never replaced.

[ianathompson]

The local spiv would obviously be  a Narnian fairy.

 

 

 

session 9 photo 92. The yard shunter returns to its favoured spot close to the, still to be built, mess room.

“What’s happened to yer bike mate?”

“Dunno. Those Narnian fairies must have had it away!”

 

Ian T

[ianathompson]

Once more some time has passed since the last post.

 

A visit to Chichester Cathedral to sing the week end services there took up plenty of modelling time.

It was a ‘hard sing’ but I enjoyed it.

One or two congregation said that we sounded more like the cathedral choir than many of the ‘visitors’ so at least it was worth it!

 

I have to be honest and say that the repetitive and troublesome nature of the train shed glazing has caused me to take my eye off the ball.

 

 

The 4-6-0T was nominally scrapped last year when the chassis fell apart.

I did consider binning the body but kept hold of it.

 

A saw was taken to a Fleischmann 4-6-4T (BR 78) and the body was also seriously hacked about.

It is seen here in a basic form with the buffer beam held on by Blu-Tac. 

The original was supposed to represent a Reseau Breton tank, which was one reason why I bought a larger wheeled British (Chinese built) chassis.

At least this version is reliable even if it the wheels are too small.

More work on this and it could find a role on the AFK.

 

Meanwhile, purchase of a book on French railcars revealed an unknown (to me) prototype articulated standard gauge railcar.

Hmm I thought, combine that with one of those Billard railcars with a conning tower stuck on top of a half cab front and we could be in business!

Photos if as and when this monstrosity gets beyond the evaluation stage.

 

 

Meanwhile the hole at Sojonno came to my attention.

A new village gate and a re-aligned village street are in prospect with the Quiet Woman more prominent.

The Quiet Woman was the village pub in Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd if I remember my A level English Literature studies correctly.

 

 

Finally, the instrument of torture.

Perhaps the Luftwaffe should have paid a visit!

The glass panels are all in except the near side end, although some have a distressing tendency to fall out at the slightest provocation. There were supposed to be beer adverts on the end but these have disappeared.

They might be added retrospectively. Hopefully it won’t be too long before this is finished so that its place can be taken by something else.

 

Ian T

[St Enodoc]

10 hours ago, ianathompson said:

A visit to Chichester Cathedral to sing the week end services there took up plenty of modelling time.

It was a ‘hard sing’ but I enjoyed it.

In the 90s our parish church choir used to sing Evensong at Birmingham Cathedral but I have to agree that a whole weekend's services would be tough going. Plenty of throat lubrication required...

[ianathompson]

8 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Plenty of throat lubrication required...

 

Yes! I found a good "sawdust and spitoons" bar just around the corner.

Not the sort of place frequented by cathedral choristers.

Was annoyed, whilst grabbing a quick pint after mattins and eucharist, to discover that Harvey's was available but that I had not spotted this!

 

Ian T

[ianathompson]

After weeks of waiting, the scheduled work on Lacono is finished, for the time being at least. Hopefully it will not be too long before another operating session begins, although there are one or two outside commitments that will interfere with this ideal.

 

The shadow box for the Parcels Office was finally knocked up in a morning or so, excepting the doors which were batch built.

Having retrieved one of these from the closed position on the building, they are both now open.

This enables a little more of the (crude) interior to be seen.

The massive weighing machine at the back was based on a German prototype and knocked up from scraps.

The dial came from the tube containing the roll of solder seen in the background.

As per normal this space of about 15 cms by 15 cms is all that is clear on the workbench.

 

 

The parcels office is seen in all its glory in position.

The trolley has been ‘nicked’ from Relforka but there are plenty of other trolleys and luggage awaiting attention.

 

 

Problems were experienced, as expected, when trying to hang signs etc from the roof.

Eventually I decided to go for the line of least resistance and string “wire” across the trainshed.

This shows the train indicator.

 

Much thought went into this despite its simple appearance.

The platform is way too narrow to allow a train indicator to stand on it.

I did consider a simple mechanical version, lowered and raised on a winch but eventually went with this.

It follows London Underground practice of the fifties and sixties when the incoming train was shown on a signboard lit by incandescent bulbs shining through stencils.

It might seem hi-tech for the AFK but the underlying technology is simple enough for it to be credible.

At least two other ‘wires’ are needed for the running in boards.

 

The train indicator needs to be slung quite high to avoid passing stock.

Guess how this was found out.

Clue see those two carriages on the platform approach…..!

 

 

The finished monstrosity in all its hideous glory.

Having persuaded the thing to sit in place the right way up only one window panel fell out.

A wrestling match then ensued to re-affix it to the existing screw holes.

This was achieved somewhere in the fifth round of the bout.

I have now discovered that one of the locating pins on the near side has dropped off so that needs attention. I was gratified to find that the “sky hook”, visible below the signal diagram, aligns with the holes in the glass.

It is best not to look too closely at any other alignments as few match.

I am afraid that it is a dog’s dinner but, apart from minor issues it will remain as it is.

It has been smeared with “grime” in a forlorn attempt to disguise some of the worst excesses.

 

 

The “Howling Wolf” motif of the Karamspur Brewery Company adorns the end panels.

This version was produced many moons ago (yes, visual pun intended) and had thoroughly dried.

A couple of more modern versions, recently printed off, smudged, even after a week or so drying, and had to be binned.

The panel is supposed to be centred on the end canopy but it seems to be slightly out of kilter, as with everything else on this ill starred venture.

I don’t know who can madly bark longer and louder, the wolf or myself.

 

Ian T

[ianathompson]

One month along and it is time for another report from the Little World of Altonia.

A week and a half in the Cotswolds playing with Inverness Citadel hampered progress but a new session has now begun.

It can be found here.

 

A couple of photos are included to give some idea of the goings on.

 

 

4. Reaching into the passenger station to uncouple is not as easy as it used to be. The nameboards and the train indicator come off easily enough, however, so it is not too much trouble. It is just as well as the usual problems occurred after the line has been closed for construction work. A couple of touching and shorting rails were found, eventually, after an hour or two’s chasing, and a loose wire left a dead spot in some complex pointwork. I don’t know how it came loose as it was under the platform which was an untouched area this time around. Ballasting always creates problems both on the model and the real thing.

 

 

13. New kid on the block. The dismal saga of the Chinese made British outline 4-6-0 mechanism remains fresh in my mind. Don’t look at me or I’ll fall apart! The new chassis for the attempted Reseau Breton inspired loco is ¾ of a BR 78. The Fleischmann model had the back bogie hacked off and the body, which was going to be binned, was modified once again. The wheels are miles too small, hence my original decision to use a OO chassis rather than an HO one. It might find a role if it behaves. It is allocated to the KTT local goods, a favourite “running in” or testing turn. This also leaves the possibility of the displaced infamous “creature” turning out as a second pilot/banker when the anticipated mayhem occurs in the late afternoon. Of course one far reaching effect of hacking the Fleischmann chassis about was that I realised that a full chassis could provide the basis of a County Donegal inspired Baltic tank. Guess what now stands on the “round tuit” shelf?!

 

Ian T

[ianathompson]

The session has made reasonable progress so far.

The latest images, three dozen or so, are available here.

 

 

14. The cement train stops at Glissent’s home, as required by the rules. It then sounds the whistle and pulls forward, prepared to stop short of any obstruction, following which the trajnaĉefo will work the lever frame for the up goods to pass.

 

 

18. There’s trouble down the branch. The scenery and water surface of the tidal creek at Eromarbordo were covered in talcum powder. This was used to provide texture on the platforms at Lacono, directly above. It has slipped through the cracks undetected and coated the backscene and “water” in an unwanted white film Cleaning is underway. The bridge was designed to open if required but it will not complete a full swing to 90º because the backscene is in the way. Unlatching the alignment bolts is a real pain, as well. The bridge can be removed in absolute emergencies but it was not deemed necessary here.

 

 

 

 

22. Whilst the lower part of the line is busy throughout the 24 hours the upper part usually has 5 or 6 hours without activity. Fenditavalat receives its morning alarm call as the shunter enters the square at 04.55. We are now almost in summer and the contraption runs without its hood to prevent overheating, much to the consternation of various members of the populace who are concerned by the possibility of children’s unguarded fingers meeting the whirling fan. The townscape has evolved a little with Y Fako Erdkundo, the Geography Department, having “reinstated” the 18th century terra orbis, a little known relative of the famous mappa mundi, hanging somewhat threateningly over the Basabazaro. As the perceptive will note it is rather before its time as it includes Australia and New Zealand. The railway receives an annual bill from the Scolari Vallisfissura, the Mediaeval University’s senate, to ensure that the globe is kept in pristine condition despite the exhaust from the steam locos.

 

 

37. Inhodza has driven the Isuri shunter up to Caladonno where it is met by Urchyllu the centaur waving his flamboyant Narnian streamer. There is a need to load a wagon of logs for the paper factory. This will have to be done by afternoon at the latest because trains are scheduled to cross in the short loop here. This was not always the case but times change. The Isuri crew are used to the untoward antics of the Narnian enclave’s staciaĉefo, although the AFK management prefer him to stay out of sight as much as possible as he unnerves the passengers. It is not every day that normal people see a talking half man half horse . Unfortunately employment of local Narnians was a term agreed upon when the railway was built across the benighted snowbound enclave.

 

 

42. With the train arrived at Ithilrak the banking crew are delegated to do the shunting, much to their chagrin. Sacansa, the statiaĉefina, like most of the Marronĝaccan speaking mountain women is not some-one to be messed with and she gives the crew their orders in no uncertain terms before she walks back to work the frame. The crew, being Thalnian speakers from Lacono, have a limited grasp of what is being said when Marronĝacan is used, but it does not take much imagination to grasp her meaning! It is of no surprise that the door is closed and the window only partially open!

 

Ian t

Edited October 3, 2023 by ianathompson
error

[ianathompson]

There are around 50 new photos on the website.

I often wonder how many forum readers actually access the website!

There are a mere three included in this post to act as an enticement!

The rest, for those that are interested, are available here.

 

 

57. The shunting is finished and a couple of vans stand in front of the kiln used for smoking the fish. The van behind the VW is a pain in the butt for crews as it is a 6 wheeler. This, and a companion, was built in the very early days of the layout, back in the early eighties. It seemed like a good idea at the time but was never repeated. They are the bane of everyone’s life because, unless there is another 6 wheeler, such as a flat or a coal wagon, in the consist, they reduce train capacity. The van beside the buffers has opening doors and, as can be seen, is loaded with fish boxes. It is swapped with another van, from wherever it ends up, so that it begins its journey on the quaysides. Once the crew have finished shunting they will disappear into a local café for breakfast. They are not booked away until 09.30 so the job has its compensations despite the problems! High tide is at 09.45 today so some one else will have to deal with the loads from that. The time of the tide and the loadings change from operating session to session.

 

 

65. “Isuri” is a singular city and it is quite common to see cattle wandering the streets. This herd have been in for morning milking and are now making their way across the merkatubaxu back to the pastures, via the horse trough. The CFS schools’ train has arrived and dropped its pans, in the background. It will be towed down to Rivaborda by its AFK counterpart to avoid running round. It has pulled forward today, on the instructions of Terjalo, the staciaĉefo, because its counterpart has a trailing load. The bus makes a connection with this train, which is not solely reserved for Lyceo pupils, as there are few connections in these mountainous areas.

 

The cattle were a feature of Fenditavalat’s predecessor, which occasionally went to very local exhibitions. One person observed that I seemed to spend more time moving cattle about than I did trains.

 

 

72. The roving photographer catches the local from the same spot as he snapped the express. This is a much more heterogenous affair as might be expected from a secondary service. The 2-8-2T loco shows Swedish and Swiss inspired features but it still needs a lot of work to finish it off. The first coach is a strengthener based upon a Sardinian composite, the second an Austrian Brake 2nd with radial axles and the third a compartment 2nd based on a French prototype. The TPO, in maroon, behind the tree, is based on a Portuguese vehicle and the postal tender on the rear is another Sardinian vehicle. They are all built on the “flexi-scale” principle so that the overall effect is not too jarring.

 

Ian T

 

 

[Northroader]

On a technicality, are the tides in the Med. likely to be that critical to fishing boat movements?

[Sarcodelic]

16 hours ago, ianathompson said:

There are around 50 new photos on the website.

I often wonder how many forum readers actually access the website!

There are a mere three included in this post to act as an enticement!

The rest, for those that are interested, are available here. ...

 

Your posts on RMWEB are my cue to go and check out the full update on your website. So thanks for posting here.

Edited October 10, 2023 by Sarcodelic
Typo

[hexagon789]

7 hours ago, ianathompson said:

 

I often wonder how many forum readers actually access the website!

I also do so at least every time you post in the thread here. To me it is a most useful indication that the website has been updated.

 

I also go through your website on other occasions as well ;)

[ianathompson]

16 hours ago, Northroader said:

On a technicality, are the tides in the Med. likely to be that critical to fishing boat movements?

 

The sea has never really been defined despite being referred to as Mare Nostrum.

Altonia is an unlikely geographical amalgam whose location is deliberately obscure!

Hope that this helps!

 

Ian T

 

[ianathompson]

A number of new pictures have been posted on the website.

It seems that some of you don't visit it very often and rely on the posts in this thread to keep yourselves updated!

Lazy b----rs!

There are around 120 photos on the wbesite and perhaps a dozen or 15 here.

Go on! Press Visit the wbebsite.

You know you want to!

 

 

90. A special train is following the railcar, running under reporting number 8732.

In American practice it would be called second 1114 and in British terminology it would be a relief train.

The Legate and the centaur have retreated from view for the moment.

It is to be hoped that the Legate does not alight on the twisted spire of St Anaktix seen in the foreground, whilst searching for the run away troll, as one of his predecessors is alleged to have done.

Quite where the AFK dredged up that ancient dowdy carriage from is open to question.

It does, however, contain a makeshift bar in the rear vestibule which is a welcome facility for the thirsty race-goer.

 

 

102. As soon as the fish van is placed in the train, at the front, the crew waste no time in pulling out for Boursson. 

It is awkward to get a shot of the bridge so this is probably the first water level view.

There is a distinct hump in the structure which was protected by the Mediaeval tower.

The tower itself is protected by a retrospectively added Perspex shield, having being caught once or twice before it was in place.

The cattle wade in the shallows on the inside of the meander whilst the current passes through the left hand arch beside the steep undercut bank.

End of geography lesson!

One of the patterns is obviously the wrong way round.

I have contemplated putting fixed fishing nets behind the bridge but suspect that this would make the scene too crowded.

 

 

111. The URT-RFK goods wastes no time in getting away once the passenger is in.

The loco is already onto the lifting span of the bascule bridge crossing the Spegulalaguno.

It was booked away at 08.43 so it is running 90 minutes late.

The ferry is much too close to the bridge to be credible but it is a case of modeller’s license.

The bridge itself stretches credulity as it is supposed to span a ribbon lake, most of which are exceedingly deep.

 

 

120. Shunting operations have to be suspended whilst the CFS train pulls in to connect with the express.

The CFS train is simply a shuttle from the Orbonaklifo station, to use the correct title, across town which will connect with AFK service, giving a through transit to Krelm on the Ruritanian line.

It mainly runs to convey the Post van.

The pans are meant to be touching the wires, so it pays not to look too closely.

The old bloke on the left is still tinkering with the engine of the taxi.

 

Ian T

 

Edited October 20, 2023 by ianathompson
photos in wrong places!