Great Southern Railway (Fictitious) - Signalling the changes...

[magmouse]

Also, is it necessary to solder the springs to the bearings? You would get more flexibility in the arrangement if the spring wire was free to slide slightly across the top of the bearings as the bearings move up and down.

 

Nick.

[Caley Jim]

7 hours ago, magmouse said:

Also, is it necessary to solder the springs to the bearings? You would get more flexibility in the arrangement if the spring wire was

Agreed, but you would need some sort of 'stop' on the top edge of the bearing to prevent the spring slipping off inwards.

 

Jim

Edited January 5, 2023 by Caley Jim
Spelling correction

[magmouse]

6 minutes ago, Caley Jim said:

Greed, but you would need some sort of 'stop' on the top edge of the bearing to prevent the spring slipping off inwards.

 

Jim

 

Good point - perhaps the springs could be formed to push slightly outwards?

[burgundy]

10 hours ago, Northroader said:

Couldn’t you do it by mounting the two rear axles of the tender on a bogie arrangement, mounted on a fixed pivot point, then having the leading tender axle floating, with enough springing to keep the wheels on the rails? This would allow you to transfer as much weight as you want from the leading end of the tender body on to the drawbar.

That sounds feasible but I wanted the rear set of wheels to be fixed so that I could easily add pick ups to them. 

Best wishes 

Eric 

[Northroader]

You mount the pickups on the bogie frame, which I envisage as a solid, unsprung truck. Then there’s 2/3 of the tender wheels picking up.

[Skinnylinny]

These are all very good suggestions, although I fear mostly beyond my kit-building skills (a very different activity from CADing and printing!) 

I suspect that what will end up being done is that the loco-tender drawbar will be arranged such that the weight of the tender bears down on it, pushing down on the rear drivers. As it stands, there's already a little vertical slop in the front set of tender wheels, so these can be left "floating". Rather a bodge, but I'd rather bodge it and end up with something that runs, than spend forever trying to attach a compensation system to a tender (which, incidentally, has no floor!) and not end up with anything moving.

The Falcon seems to be a project which is being built at the partner's house, to give me something to work on when away from my main workbench. However, being back at home, I managed to make it down to the club with some GSR stock, in order to let it stretch its legs for the first time in a while. 
 

Havelock Vetinari on a Linton Town-Waterloo fast service, and Sir Samuel Vimes on an empty coaching stock move. I really do need to get back on with the 0-4-4t for slower passenger services.

I'm still undecided on whether I want to keep red ends on the brake vehicles, so there's a bit of a mix in the shorter stock. 

[Skinnylinny]

Goodness. A fortnight already? 

Not much modelling has been done in the meantime, at least not personal modelling. I floated the idea of a modular American H0n30 (that's 009 to you and me!) layout to a few friends, which seems to have gone down quite well. I then spotted a listing on eBay for some standard gauge H0 "Old Time" freight cars, which were mainly lettered for the Central Pacific Railroad (which matches the Central Pacific locomotive I bought as a souvenir when in the US years ago.) Well, they were a very good price, and so they arrived. At first they were a bit... toylike in appearance, with not much variation in colouring; for example, the flatcar had grey sides and grey planking over the top, while the gondola (an open) had an entirely red main body (including the floor planks) with a black self-coloured section on top.

Some tan, light grey and beige paints have picked out the floor planks on the flatcar, making things look much better already. The shiny black "wood" on the gondola had some nicely-moulded wood grain, so dry-brushing to represent worn, painted wood was the order of the day here.  I still have some transfers to add, such as running numbers, tare weights etc.

Finescale they may not be, but they'll serve my purposes! The X2F couplings will be going soon, to be replaced with Kadees. I also repainted a boxcar, which came in a ghastly children's-poster-paint green colour with a bright yellow door, to something a bit less vibrant. Lettering transfers were used to name the owner as "Gary's Beans" - an in-joke among the group of friends interested in H0n30, where "beams" was misheard as "beans", leading someone to wonder why on Earth a sawmill was producing baked beans!



Moving back across the Atlantic, I've received a parcel of more Hattons Genesis carriages (this time in Plum and Spilt Milk), which will also be repainted into GSR blue and white. However, while I had hoped to do some painting of them this week, I ended up getting sucked into some virtual "painting" for work. As some of you may have seen in the Rapido newsletter, I had the silly idea of colouring in some of the renders for our products, including the Wisbech and Upwell loco and carriage pack, and my personal favourite, the LB&SCR E1 in Stroudley's Improved Engine Green. Now, the livery artwork for that one hasn't actually been done yet, so the livery is a bit of a placeholder, made up in Fusion 360, but it gives a good idea of what to expect, even if there's no number plate and the panel corners aren't quite perfect yet. I'm rather proud of it, and may have convinced myself I need an IEG one to go with my goods green and lined black ones...



Finally, tomorrow I'll be travelling a bit to go exploring. The Kilmarnock model railway club are having their exhibition in Irvine, and I thought as I was (vaguely) in the area I might pop along to see. If any of you happen to be about (unlikely, I'd have thought, but still!) do come and say hello!

Edited January 27, 2023 by Skinnylinny

[Skinnylinny]

Not much personal modelling this month I'm afraid - various things have kept me busy! Some logs have been procured for the HO "stake car" by the simple expedient of stepping out of my front door, choosing some likely-looking fallen branches from the trees that line my road, and sawing them to length. Simple enough, but quite effective!

 

The first test-print of the (now) HOn30 American 4-4-0 showed up from Oak Hill works. This was very much an experimental print, as the model had been downscaled from an 0 scale design. As such, it's now had various parts made more chunky, but I still wanted to check clearances and such. I've thrown some paint on it too, to give an impression, and also tried out the 3D-printed wheel centres to go with the tyres and axles. Still some distance to go yet, but well on the way!



Finally, I'll be at Model Rail Scotland tomorrow (Friday) and Sunday, often to be found operating Puddle Bridge, the Edinburgh & Lothians MRC's 7mm layout. If you find yourself in Glasgow, then firstly, I'm sorry, and secondly, do feel free to come and say hello! As ever, I'm the one with the long purple hair...

[Caley Jim]

49 minutes ago, Skinnylinny said:

 If you find yourself in Glasgow, then firstly, I'm sorry, .....

Cheeky b****r!  Only two good things ever came out of that city in the East whose name we never mention - the Glasgow Road and the Glasgow train!   😄

 

See you tomorrow,

 

Jim

[Skinnylinny]

Well, something good came out of Glasgow - I picked up a pair of Traders Wagon kits (what we call Private Owner wagons north of the border) from the Caledonian Railway Association stand, part of their "True Line Models" range. They're models of an R. Y. Pickering design from around the turn of the century, and they feature that classic mark of Scottish wagons: side cupboard doors. Construction was simple enough, using a one-piece resin bodyshell, if rather fiddly with certain of the etches (especially the brake lever guide!).

The only trouble I had was that the kit doesn't include etched W irons, wheels or bearings, and the only W irons I had were fractionally too wide to fit between the cast solebars when folded up. I ended up cutting the W irons out individually and gluing them to the insides of the solebars. Definitely a cheat, but it worked and thanks to slow-setting superglue gel, I was able to get a wagon that sits square on all four wheels.

The axleboxes are not quite sitting flush on the W irons, being held off by the waisted pinpoint bearings, but they're only tacked on so when I next have a chance to get at the Dremel and give them a gentle tickle.

However, it's looking quite good, and quite different from everything else I have. While this style of wagons were mainly owned by Scottish traders, there were some merchants as far south as London who used them, so I'm still trying to pick out an identity.

[Compound2632]

3 hours ago, Skinnylinny said:

I picked up a pair of Traders Wagon kits (what we call Private Owner wagons north of the border) from the Caledonian Railway Association stand, part of their "True Line Models" range. 

 

What are the dimensions of that wagon? 

[Skinnylinny]

44 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

What are the dimensions of that wagon? 

 

16.5' over headstocks, 8' wide, and 4' internal height.

[Compound2632]

28 minutes ago, Skinnylinny said:

16.5' over headstocks, 8' wide, and 4' internal height.

 

Ah, not my size then.

[Skinnylinny]

What are you after? 

Edited March 10, 2023 by Skinnylinny

[Compound2632]

34 minutes ago, Skinnylinny said:

What are you after? 

 

Something that would pass for these Monk Bretton Colliery wagons - 15 ft over headstocks, I think:

 

 

[Skinnylinny]

Ah. Hmm, I'm not aware of any kits that would suit that I'm afraid - I wonder if some custom-etched washer plates might be the way to go?

[WFPettigrew]

I was similar Stephen when I first read this.  Ooh good, some RY Pickering cupboard door traders/PO wagons - of which several Cumbrian companies had examples.  But those were all 7 planks not 5.  Sigh. 

 

All the best

 

Neil 

[Skinnylinny]

Sounds like some petitions to the Caledonian Railway Association may be in order!

[Skinnylinny]

Not much to add this week. A bit more work was done on the HOn30 4-4-0 "Eureka", with the cowcatcher pilot being completely redrawn and several bits made chunkier for printing.

 

I also have some tentative plans for a drive mechanism, although it'll be a motor in the tender driving a worm gearbox in the loco through a flexible shaft. Not what I had hoped for, but it will allow me to fill the firebox with weight, which will hopefully help with adhesion, and still keep the cab relatively clear. 

 

 

Then I need to get on with finishing up thy tender, firebox details, and motor mount, and it will be ready to make the final version! 

 

On a different note, I'm now on the first off several trains today to The Murky South, as I'll be at the London Festival of Railway Modelling at Alexandra Palace this coming weekend. Do pop to the Rapido stand and say hi if you're coming! 

[Skinnylinny]

Well, I suppose now the news is public, you can all see what I've been working on behind the scenes at the office.



I surely can't be the only person who was frustrated at seeing 1923-spec. wagons with oil axleboxes purporting to represent wagons that were much older, with very different designs. Now, I'm not going to claim that these are perfect down to the last rivet for every wagon, far from it. They've been an interesting exercise in "how close can we get". There will always be small differences in things like washer plates, door hinges and latches between individual wagons. As Compound commented on the Rapido thread, private owner wagons are an absolute minefield!



Hopefully, if these sell as well as they seem to be being received, I'll be allowed to look into more variations... Maybe even some of those Gloucester wagons as well! 😛

Edited March 17, 2023 by Skinnylinny

[Schooner]

If I don't make it over to say it in person on Saturday, congrats Linny! These are excellent in concept and execution, with your work and Rapido's decisions deserving every bit of praise they're getting. Well done, thank you and keep it up!

[Skinnylinny]

Finally some modelling of my own, rather than on company time! ...and it's a private owner wagon.

The Pickering wagon from the post on the 10th inst. has now been painted green, and has has the ironwork on one side and both ends picked out. I'll do the ironwork on the other side when the near side in the photo below has fully cured for a few days, to avoid wearing off the paint on the bolt ends.

The green colour has been chosen to match one of the forthcoming Rapido private owner wagons, belonging to Albert Usher & Co. of London. I found through the HMRS website that the same company owned a Pickering 5-plank open with side cupboard and end doors, although that one strictly had a steel underframe. That being said, the wagon will be close enough for me, and allows me to have a cupboard-door open in Surrey fairly legitimately.

I also picked up, at the London Festival of Railway Modelling, a kit for a GER open wagon (which appears to be one of the ones modified from a 5-plank open) by Stelfox - a company of which I had not hitherto heard, for £6. Not a bad price, thought I, especially when I opened the package and found it contained *two* wagon kits! One has since been sold on to a club member who has a budding interest in the GE. I need to do a little more research into the livery it would have worn in ca. 1900-1910, as I'm not convinced I have the right shade of grey. I also need to smear a little filler in to hide the gaps in the corner plates where the parts were joined. 



At the same trader's stall, I also acquired some POWSides dry-rub GE transfers. I've not had great luck with these in the past, but somehow GE wagon lettering seems to be missing from both the HMRS and Fox Transfers range. Any suggestions for other transfer sources gratefully received!
 

[Skinnylinny]

Well, that has been thoroughly lovely and unexpected! I have been presented with a freelance 4-4-0 and "generic" 6-wheel coaching stock in Great Southern Railway livery in Train Simulator. Huge thanks to Elias and Yarran at Wayside Works, who decided to produce these to thank me for helping out with some of their projects. I have to admit, I rather like this 4-4-0, and it may have to end up being modelled in 4mm scale for the layout...

 

 

Ah, a proper pre-grouping scene. I already have a fair selection of LSWR locos in Drummond green (A12, M7, T3, Adams Radial) and even in goods holly green (Ilfracombe Goods), and Elias has made a lovely selection of goods wagons to go with them, including an ancient Beattie "birdcage" brake.

[Edwardian]

On 26/03/2023 at 11:11, Skinnylinny said:

I also picked up, at the London Festival of Railway Modelling, a kit for a GER open wagon (which appears to be one of the ones modified from a 5-plank open) by Stelfox - a company of which I had not hitherto heard, for £6. Not a bad price, thought I, especially when I opened the package and found it contained *two* wagon kits! One has since been sold on to a club member who has a budding interest in the GE. 

 

 

If it's a 5-plank it should either be a diagram 16, with wooden u/f, or the more populous diagram 17 with steel channel u/f, which varied over its long build years, with some prototypes in the '80s IIRC, then several batches between 1891-1902.

 

Livery slate grey, and up to 1902 it's small G E R initials, there was then an experiment with rather square large G E before the 1903 large G E. 

 

One example we have is of a 1901-built wagon with a repaint to large 1903 initials taking place in 1910.  

 

Also there were separate elliptical makers and load-weight plates, though the planks on which they were mounted changed. From 1901 they used a combined rectangular plate.  No change then by 1910.

[Annie]

4 hours ago, Skinnylinny said:

Well, that has been thoroughly lovely and unexpected! I have been presented with a freelance 4-4-0 and "generic" 6-wheel coaching stock in Great Southern Railway livery in Train Simulator.

Ah, 't other simulator.  I have to admit that I've been tempted sometimes what with the work that's going on at present with Broad Gauge models and the W&U.

 

That 4-4-0 is lovely.