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

[Annie]

I forgot to add in the door banger springs and the extra internal ironwork on my D302 wagon.  I didn't much feel like making attachment points and micro-adjusting a pair of door banger springs, but at least it's done now.

 

[Compound2632]

A straightforward improvement would be to increase the tare from 5 tons 4 cwt to somewhere around 5 tons 17 cwt - these wagons were built with brakes both sides.

[Annie]

Thanks for that Stephen.  Now that you mention it 5 tons 4 cwt was a bit light.

[Compound2632]

6 minutes ago, Annie said:

Thanks for that Stephen.  Now that you mention it 5 tons 4 cwt was a bit light.

 

On the other hand, it's a whisker over the average for a D299. That extra foot of length plus the second set of brake gear makes quite a difference.

[Annie]

4 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

On the other hand, it's a whisker over the average for a D299. That extra foot of length plus the second set of brake gear makes quite a difference.

Yes it would indeed!

My D302 is a bit too long, but it certainly looks more plausible than it pretending to be a D299.  I'll have a go at making a basic body mesh to suit a D299.  The meshes I use are really just a plain box that has the texturing hung on it and then the 9ft underframe kit of parts gets plugged into it.

 

EDIT:  I found the D299 drawing held by the Midland Railway Study Centre which is no doubt going to make itself very useful.

Edited June 26, 2021 by Annie
more to say

[Annie]

This is a sight to make me go all breathless and quivery.  I don't model the N.E.R. , but I do like to see what is happening 'up norf' on the Trainz forum.  Ed Heap's latest is not only an elegant single driver locomotive, but it's a two cylinder compound on the Worsdell/Von Borries principle as well.  Does it get any better that that!

Ed has mentioned either the Midland Johnson/Deeley compounds or the GCR Robinson class 8B as Smith type compound possibilities as he continues to work his way down the list of Uk compound locomotives.

 

[Compound2632]

How could I not like? No. 1517 of this class shares the honours of fastest recorded speed attained by a British locomotive in the 19th century with Johnson piston-valve single No. 117 which New Zealander Charles Rous Marten clocked at 90 mph in the course of a whirlwind descent towards Bedford - 13 consecutive miles at over 80 mph. That was with a service train; 1517's 90 mph was obtained during tests conducted by the North Eastern's Chief Draughsman (or he may have been deputy to Wilson Worsdell as chief draughtsman at the time) Walter Mackersie Smith, who had been S.W. Johnson's chief draughtsman at Cowlairs in the 1860s and whose three-cylinder system of compounding was used both by Johnson and by Robinson...

[Annie]

Progress is being made with the GER 6 wheel mail van.  The corridor connections are being troublesome, but Ed Heaps is providing assistance.  Ed also very kindly made available the animated mail bag catching and dropping off equipment from his own HR and NER TPO vans.  The mystery of whether or not there was a long 'ducket' on the other side of the van has also been cleared up by a kind gentleman on the GER Society forum.  There was indeed a long 'ducket' which was more than likely similar to the images Jim posted earlier and I'm presently waiting for a proper GER diagram of the mail van to be sent to me.

 

[Annie]

A morning Broad Gauge cheer up picture.  A Dean '3501' class built in 1885, - a 'Metro' for the Broad Gauge.

I've always liked the look of the '3501' class.

 

[Annie]

GER TPO mail van progress.  A beta version of t'other side of the van.  The one that nobody ever photographs and is generally shunned and unloved.  'An Illustrated History of the Travelling Post Office' by Peter Johnson is a book that has both photos and the proper GER diagram for the mail van.  Rob Dee has ordered a copy and hopefully by the end of the week the truth will be revealed!  (Dun, dun, dun......)

It's quite amusing really since I only showed Rob the photo of the GER mail van as a kind of, 'I suppose you wouldn't want to make that,' sort of thing.  I didn't think he would take me seriously, but I'm awfully glad he did.

 

[Caley Jim]

1 hour ago, Annie said:

GER TPO mail van progress.  A beta version of t'other side of the van.  The one that nobody ever photographs and is generally shunned and unloved.  'An Illustrated History of the Travelling Post Office' by Peter Johnson is a book that has both photos and the proper GER diagram for the mail van.  Rob Dee has ordered a copy and hopefully by the end of the week the truth will be revealed!  (Dun, dun, dun......)

It's quite amusing really since I only showed Rob the photo of the GER mail van as a kind of, 'I suppose you wouldn't want to make that,' sort of thing.  I didn't think he would take me seriously, but I'm awfully glad he did.

 

Point of order, Ma'am.  These two coaches would never be marshalled that way round.  The pick-up/drop off apparatus was always on the nearside and the newspaper racks were on the offside.  And before any one asks, yes TPO's were turned before the return trip, either on a turntable, by means of a convenient triangular junction, or, after arrival at Glasgow Central, by running them round the Cathcart Circle.  The latter was also the way they turned the big 4-6-0's (49/50 and the Cardeans) before they put in a bigger turntable at Polmadie.

 

Jim

[Compound2632]

2 hours ago, Annie said:

A beta version of t'other side of the van.  The one that nobody ever photographs and is generally shunned and unloved. 

 

Well, hardly ever:

 

 

[Midland Railway Study Centre Item 61795, embedded link.]

[Annie]

2 hours ago, Caley Jim said:

Point of order, Ma'am.  These two coaches would never be marshalled that way round.  The pick-up/drop off apparatus was always on the nearside and the newspaper racks were on the offside.  And before any one asks, yes TPO's were turned before the return trip, either on a turntable, by means of a convenient triangular junction, or, after arrival at Glasgow Central, by running them round the Cathcart Circle.  The latter was also the way they turned the big 4-6-0's (49/50 and the Cardeans) before they put in a bigger turntable at Polmadie.

 

Jim

Oh yes I completely agree Jim.  Rob sent me that picture with the vans coupled that way around so I could see both sides at the same time.  The GER had stern regulations about the apparatus always being on the nearside, though on one particular mail run the vans were marshalled as per the photo for a time to save turning them, but it wasn't long before someone officially told them to stop it.

 

2 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Well, hardly ever:

 

 

[Midland Railway Study Centre Item 61795, embedded link.]

Ooooo that's a nice picture Stephen.  Thanks for posting it.

[Annie]

The latest beta version of the GER TPO van has been sent to me for general frowning at and playing trains with.  The associated mail tender vans are still being worked on.  I suppose this means that I'll need to start thinking about a mail train schedule.  BUT not right now as I'm crashing out and I need to sleep.

 

[Edwardian]

Lovely Annie, both in the detail and the varnished wood effect. That mail train will look absolutely stunning.  Will you have a T19 or a Single to bowl along at the head of it?

[Annie]

There are five wharves/harbours along the coast on my Norfolk layout which is possibly a bit much, but I happen to like them and  they are all quite different to one another.  Bluebell Woods has a timber built wharf and that's where the East Anglia Hygienic Fish Oil works is sited.  The one at Bluebell Sands just along the coast is solidly built from concrete and does sand and gravel which arrives in barges.  I will mention in passing the promenade pier at Hopewood on Sea, but that's not really a proper working wharf; - and the next along the coast is Windweather Harbour which is modelled on a tidal harbour with lock gates (which I have been told is completely wrong for Norfolk, but I don't care since I had a lot of fun building it). Windweather seems to mostly handle timber and mysterious things packed in crates, barrels and sacks.  Next is Tenpenny Harbour which has a 'T' shaped stone built quay protected by a breakwater and they mostly handle coal and yet more mysterious things packed in crates, barrels and sacks.  Tenpenny Harbour has never quite lost its reputation as a haven for smugglers.

And finally there is Foxhollow Harbour beside the railway station which has never really been all that successful due to having a constant problem with silting up as well suffering from too much competition from the other wharves and harbours along the coast.  It's only really the modest steamer traffic to France that keeps it going.

All of which brings me to the latest arrival at Foxhollow Harbour.  There's a French content creator on the Trainz forum who does amazing ship models.  Most of them are too modern for my layout, but I did find this wonderfully scruffy gem which to my eyes at least seemed to be perfect for Foxhollow Harbour.

 

 

 

41 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

Lovely Annie, both in the detail and the varnished wood effect. That mail train will look absolutely stunning.  Will you have a T19 or a Single to bowl along at the head of it?

Yes Rob Dee has done a lovely job with this TPO mail van.  I suppose having cut his teeth previously on the 6 wheel coaches he was well primed to take on the 6 wheel TPO.  Ed Heaps very kindly provided all the TPO apparatus having already made these items for his own HR and NER TPO vans and that definitely helped Rob's GER TPO project along.  

 

Unfortunately I can't muster a T19 James and the only singles I have are the Eastlingwold & Great Mulling's Beyer Peacocks.  After Ed Heap's brilliant work with recently making a T26 and a C32 and greatly improving the situation for GER Trainz enthusiasts I wouldn't really like to stretch his goodwill too far by pleading for yet more  GER locomotives. 

I could use the T26's as stand ins on the mail trains and then of course there's the question of scheduling and routes.  The Eastlingwold & Great Mulling would absolutely insist on a Beyer Peacock being in charge of any mail train on their patch so that forestalls that issue for a while which would leave the joint line mail train for a T26 to handle.  I do have a 'Claud', but with it being brand spanking new at the time period of my layout I don't think it would be an appropriate choice.

Edited June 29, 2021 by Annie
can't spell for toffee

[Compound2632]

8 hours ago, Annie said:

The latest beta version of the GER TPO van has been sent to me for general frowning at and playing trains with.  

 

Do the nets and traductor arms work?

[Hroth]

2 hours ago, Annie said:

 

 

 

Nice ship.

 

Looks good with the two funnels, but I would have thought that for a vessel of that size, one would be more typical. The one nearest the Bridge looks superfluous and a boiler down below would be taking up valuable cargo space!  In the "real world" the Bridge would be situated where the forrard funnel is, and a cargo hold in front of the Bridge.

 

The bow also looks more like something off a Grand Banks schooner, a typical European steamer of the era would have a stem that would be so straight that your eyes would ache...  I realise that you don't have any say in its layout, so it'll do.

 

Red Star line, eh?

Very Revolutionary!

 

Perhaps it should be called the Potemkin...

 

 

 

 

[Edwardian]

Excellent ship.

 

 

[Annie]

Unfortunately I don't know any details about the ship as to whether it has an actual prototype or if it's a complete flight of fancy on the behalf of its creator.  I just liked its general scruffiness and the fact that it had a general air of defiance about it with its two tall funnels.

[eheaps]

2 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Do the nets and traductor arms work?

 

 They do. Here's a demonstration using my Highland Jones TPO model.

 

 

[eheaps]

5 hours ago, Annie said:

Yes Rob Dee has done a lovely job with this TPO mail van.  I suppose having cut his teeth previously on the 6 wheel coaches he was well primed to take on the 6 wheel TPO.  Ed Heaps very kindly provided all the TPO apparatus having already made these items for his own HR and NER TPO vans and that definitely helped Rob's GER TPO project along.  

 

Unfortunately I can't muster a T19 James and the only singles I have are the Eastlingwold & Great Mulling's Beyer Peacocks.  After Ed Heap's brilliant work with recently making a T26 and a C32 and greatly improving the situation for GER Trainz enthusiasts I wouldn't really like to stretch his goodwill too far by pleading for yet more  GER locomotives. 

I could use the T26's as stand ins on the mail trains and then of course there's the question of scheduling and routes.  The Eastlingwold & Great Mulling would absolutely insist on a Beyer Peacock being in charge of any mail train on their patch so that forestalls that issue for a while which would leave the joint line mail train for a T26 to handle.  I do have a 'Claud', but with it being brand spanking new at the time period of my layout I don't think it would be an appropriate choice.

 

It's great to see someone else making use of the TPO system I made.

 

When it comes to GER express locos a T19 or Petrolea type single would be relatively straightforward as a conversion from the T26. They are on the list of potential future projects. The GER loco I'd really like to model though is a P43. If anyone knows where decent drawings can be found I'd be interested to hear. I've only been able to find side views of it. Something with end and plan views would be useable, but the ideal thing would be a works GA type drawing showing the inside motion in side and plan views.

[Compound2632]

10 minutes ago, eheaps said:

They do. Here's a demonstration using my Highland Jones TPO model.

 

Brilliant! Almost as much fun as the Triang / Hornby version!

[Edwardian]

1 hour ago, eheaps said:

 

 They do. Here's a demonstration using my Highland Jones TPO model.

 

 

 

Excellent. Looks like a WN service to me, however. Not that I think the WN has a TPO!

[Hroth]

1 hour ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Brilliant! Almost as much fun as the Triang / Hornby version!

 

Seeing as how Hornby has a range of "Generic" 6-wheelers, perhaps they could be tempted to produce a similar TPO?

 

Now that WOULD be fun! Or perhaps not...