Annie's Virtual Pre-Grouping, Grouping and BR Layouts & Workbench

[Annie]

Further progress with the E22.

 

[Matloughe]

I'm loving the Minories layout on here - its really getting me thinking about making a version in 4mm!

I can see it in my minds eye, LBSCR engines... Perhaps some of those gorgeous other pre-grouping tank engines recently announced.
I always like taking a trip here, do you do a season ticket?

Kind Regards,
Gary

[Hroth]

7 hours ago, Annie said:

Further progress with the E22.

 

 

The "facets" on the boiler and smokebox remind me of early 3D printing attempts.... 🤪

 

Progress is looking good!

 

[Annie]

1 hour ago, Hroth said:

 

The "facets" on the boiler and smokebox remind me of early 3D printing attempts.... 🤪

 

Progress is looking good!

 

Once the model is textured those 'facets' will be barely noticeable.  It's possible to make the boiler and anything else of cylindrical form completely smooth, - only the poly count would be be huge and the resource load on any computer attempting to render the model would be crippling.

I'm very pleased with progress so far.

 

2 hours ago, Matloughe said:

I'm loving the Minories layout on here - its really getting me thinking about making a version in 4mm!

I can see it in my minds eye, LBSCR engines... Perhaps some of those gorgeous other pre-grouping tank engines recently announced.
I always like taking a trip here, do you do a season ticket?

Kind Regards,
Gary

Thanks very much Gary, - welcome aboard.  'Minories' is pretty special and despite its age it's never lost its appeal.  You could definitely do a lot worse than to make a version of it in 4mm and a LBSCR 'Minories' certainly sounds good to me.

[Hroth]

28 minutes ago, Annie said:

It's possible to make the boiler and anything else of cylindrical form completely smooth, - only the poly count would be be huge and the resource load on any computer attempting to render the model would be crippling.

 

I remember you mentioning that high poly counts are a killer before, which is why I put in the 🤪 emoji!

[Annie]

I dug about in my digital trainset box and found my two GER R24 0-6-0Ts.  They were both used for a while in TS2012 on my Norfolk layout, but havent been used in TANE before.  I gave No.255 a little polish and a tidy up and I think I'll do the same with No.265.  They are both older models originally made for Trainz TS2006 and haven't scrubbed up too badly.  I think they should do just fine at 'Minories'.

 

 

Edited April 20, 2023 by Annie
Um.........

[Schooner]

59 minutes ago, Annie said:

I gave No.255 a little polish and a tidy up

She's looking very well on it, bravo!

 

59 minutes ago, Annie said:

I think they should do just fine at 'Minories'.

On the basis of the presented evidence...heartily agreed!

[Annie]

47 minutes ago, Schooner said:

She's looking very well on it, bravo!

 

On the basis of the presented evidence...heartily agreed!

The R24's were used on the GER 'Jazz' suburban services out of Liverpool Street Station to Enfield Town and Chingford.  So despite their deceptively small size they were very capable workers and had no problems with handling the heavy suburban trains.

Being condensing engines my two were never really suitable for Norfolk so now that I've got a TMR finescale 00 version of Minories they've finally got a home to call their own.

 

https://www.keymodelworld.com/article/great-eastern-jazz-trains

[Annie]

14 hours ago, Annie said:

Being condensing engines my two were never really suitable for Norfolk so now that I've got a TMR finescale 00 version of Minories they've finally got a home to call their own.

 

https://www.keymodelworld.com/article/great-eastern-jazz-trains

Referring back to the Jazz trains article I couldn't do otherwise than to take note of the GER headcodes so I'll have to do something about that.  A good few of my GER and associated engines on my Norfolk layout are running about with GER headcodes instead of the RCH universal ones which are a lot more fun.  The only problem is that the code disc model I have is a wee bit too small which is somewhat of a  nuisance.

 

[Annie]

Now here's a sight to soothe sore eyes.  The E22 I commissioned from Connor Law now complete, but awaiting the final software magic that will assemble it into the format to suit the Trainz simulator.

My commission was for E22 Nos. 151 - 159 in original condition and I'm absolutely delighted.

 

[Annie]

Evening Broad Gauge Cheer Up Picture:  Ex B&ER engines are always a good cheer up.  This photo was taken in 1885 at Taunton and here we see No. 2040 a Vulcan Foundry loco built in 1867 in rebuilt condition with a Dean chimney.  People call these 4-4-0ST's ugly ducklings, but I think they're wonderful.

 

(A Broad Gauge Society Photo)

[Hroth]

4 hours ago, Annie said:

People call these 4-4-0ST's ugly ducklings, but I think they're wonderful.

 

I "liked" it, but they are pretty wonderful too!

 

Given the lack of a roof to the cab, it seems to bear out the GWR publicity that the climate at the toe of Britain is remarkably benign....

 

[Compound2632]

 

No, not the beard, the wagons.

 

An iron-bodied tilt wagon, with large wheels, and a sheeted 4-plank (?) open. Some 4-plank wagons appear in the Swindon dump photos but those seem to be direct analogues of the standard gauge version. This one seems to have a differently-constructed underframe - if iron channel, then with the flat face outwards - and headstock not quite as wide as the body.

[magmouse]

15 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

if iron channel, then with the flat face outwards

 

Or bulb section, which has very little metal protruding along the bottom edge? Or flitched, with the w-iron trapped between the iron plate and the wooden core?

[BG John]

27 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

An iron-bodied tilt wagon, with large wheels, and a sheeted 4-plank (?) open. Some 4-plank wagons appear in the Swindon dump photos but those seem to be direct analogues of the standard gauge version. This one seems to have a differently-constructed underframe - if iron channel, then with the flat face outwards - and headstock not quite as wide as the body.

From that frustrating period between the early days, and the later era of convertibles, where almost no information seems to be available. It's a big black hole in the Broad Gauge Society's Data Sheets, covering the period I most want to model!

 

I built a 4mm scale chassis for a B&E 4-4-0ST over 30 year ago, but the body was beyond my abilities at the time. It still is, but 3D printers didn't exist then, so all that now stands in my way is improving my CAD skills!

[Caley Jim]

1 hour ago, Hroth said:

Given the lack of a roof to the cab, it seems to bear out the GWR publicity that the climate at the toe of Britain is remarkably benign....

It's the flight of stairs up into the cab that gets me!  Almost like climbing onto the bridge of a ship!

 

Jim

[Hroth]

2 hours ago, Caley Jim said:

It's the flight of stairs up into the cab that gets me!  Almost like climbing onto the bridge of a ship!

 

Jim

 

 

Arrrr Jimlad!!!!!

 

Actually (and I think its been noted before), the thing that would worry me would be the toe-guillotining coupling rod that slices just behind the cab steps! I don't think that even Toe-Tectors would help...

 

On closer inspection I see that the B&E implemented some early H&S measures and put backing plates on the steps

meaning that in wintery weather you'd just have to be careful of slipping off them instead...

 

 

Edited April 21, 2023 by Hroth
Extra!

[MikeOxon]

6 hours ago, Caley Jim said:

It's the flight of stairs up into the cab that gets me!  Almost like climbing onto the bridge of a ship!

 

Jim

They put me off attempting a model, too - tricky clearances to fit the coupling rods between wheels and steps!

[Annie]

You all know about my Vulcan Foundry built B&ER 4-4-0ST's; - No.2039 here seen at Crowcombe Heathfield.  Nice enough and I like it a lot, but Cameron Scott got the cab floor height wrong so the driver and fireman are standing with their heads above the top of the weatherboard.  With this being a TRS19 spec engine the new Trainzmesh system won't let me do my usual fix of lowering the attachment point.  I'll figure it out eventually I suppose.

 

 

'850' class 0-6-0ST in charge of a PWD train seen at Crowcombe Heathfield.

 

This poor chap just wishes that they would get on and finish laying track to Bishops Lydeard so his parcels would finally get delivered.  He's been waiting so long his horses have caught blurred textures disease.

 

Seriously though I'm going to have to make up my mind what I'm going to do with this layout since it's not possible to get the signals working properly with dual gauge trackwork.

 

[Annie]

I had a go at editing the config file so I could lower the height of the footplate crew, but everything I did came up faulty.  I've removed the footplate crew for now until I can think of something else.

 

[magmouse]

10 hours ago, Annie said:

'850' class 0-6-0ST in charge of a PWD train seen at Crowcombe Heathfield.

 

I'm planning on having an 850 class saddle tank for Netherport. It would be great to see a few more views of yours, just to whet my appetite!

 

Nick.

[Annie]

8 minutes ago, magmouse said:

 

I'm planning on having an 850 class saddle tank for Netherport. It would be great to see a few more views of yours, just to whet my appetite!

 

Nick.

Not a problem Nick

[Annie]

I decided to see if I could get some snaps of the two '850' Class engines at Minehead.  I had some 'help' with getting the snaps so I hope these are Ok.  The '850's I have are older models for Trainz, but are reasonably accurate.

 

 

 

 

I was in luck as I was able to catch up with 'Buffalo' No. 1173 before it headed out with a coal train.  An '850' looks quite small alongside one of these.

 

 

[Hroth]

One saddletank loco is nice, two even better!

 

Has the lady spreadeagled on the floor tripped over her broom, or is she having a tantrum because she wasn't allowed to join the group discussion?

 

[magmouse]

Thanks, Annie!

 

As @Hroth says, the contrast with the Buffalo is marked. I am planning a stud of 4 GWR locos, following Dean's thinking of 2-4-0 or 0-4-2 types for passenger traffic, and 0-6-0s for goods, in both tender and tank form. So that would be an 850 and either a Dean or Armstrong goods, and a 517 and a 2-4-0 tender (TBC - the Finney 'Stella' class, or 3232? Or the Sanspareil 'River' class with lovely curved frames? Decisions, decisions...). A Buffalo would be nice, but I think the smaller 850 will be more practical for any layout I am likely to find space for in the near future.

 

Nick.