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

[Annie]

Careful there Jim or I'll show you a picture of the Hurst 0-4-2WT I've got that's painted in lined Caley blue.  

[Annie]

Having a rough day with not being well so I bought myself a present.  Well three actually since there's three engines in a pack.  Cerberus, Hydra and Pegasus circa 1850.  I've always wanted a British Crampton (or two), - I have a French one already, - and I've often looked at the Cramptons on Paulz Trainz website, but decided against them because I really needed to get more useful and ordinary engines first.  Well now I have an adequate number of the more ordinary early NBR engines so it was time to be wildly impractical and buy myself three Cramptons.

 

Not being terribly fond of the early NBR ochre livery I always go for Edinburgh Railway and Edinburgh & Glasgow Railway green.  Possibly highly incorrect for the vague period in which I'm more or less trying to represent, but I like it and it's my trainset afterall.

 

(Paulz Trainz website pictures)

 

 

[Northroader]

You could do your Crampton in Royal Stuart Tartan? I agree, I love Cramptons, but if you scratch build one, you’ll find there’s the valvegear to do, and I run away from it. Anybody want a pair of eight foot drivers? Oh no, Jim...

[Annie]

The NBR Crampton is available in Royal Stuart Tartan Northroader; - and there is even a version available wearing all the royal train decorations, - but I decided that I wanted something a little more mundane.  Paul has just sent to me Hermes. Circe and Hera which are the earlier Cramptons circa 1848, but that's Ok.  I know he did lose some of his older models in a hard drive failure and really the earlier and smaller NBR Cramptons are a more practical choice.

 

But the big surprise was being given a freebee........  Well three freebees actually as Paul gave me three of these SER Cramptons, one clean, one a bit weathered and one more heavily weathered/mucky.  Not really what you'd call a Scottish engine, but I've decided that I don't care.  I've only ever seen line drawings of these engines in Ahrons and they certainly are interesting being born of the era when locomotive builders were experimenting with the wonders of steam technology. 

 

(Edit found this picture of 'Folkestone',  Robert Stephenson 787/1851.)

 

 

And a lovely painting by Ernest Twining.

 

Edited July 28, 2018 by Annie

[Caley Jim]

Careful there Jim or I'll show you a picture of the Hurst 0-4-2WT I've got that's painted in lined Caley blue.  

No problem with that!  If it's good enough for the Ratty.........

https://www.crassoc.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1223

 

Jim

[Annie]

And very fine and handsome it looks too Jim.

[Annie]

My test track layout is in great danger of becoming a fully fledged layout.  In terms of being able to run a number of trains it is now very good though.  With the passing loops at this new station and the goods yard at the other station at the far end of the layout reasonably interesting operation is possible.  My only problem now is that I'm running out of room for all the engines I've got.

 

The freebee SER Crampton is a lovely engine.  All my vintage single drivers have a good turn of speed once they have their big driving wheel wound up, but with tender only brakes you really do have to watch it while slowing down.  This time around Paul's engine spec file is spot on for these early engines and it makes them a lot of fun to drive.

And yes I know I'm using LBSC coaches from a later period, but I haven't got anything else suitable at the moment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Annie]

Edinburgh & Glasgow Railway Cramptions from the circa 1848 batch.  I'm finding myself a bit bored with post 1900's modern image stuff at the moment.

 

 

[Annie]

Playing trains.

 

The new Cramptons are really nice.  Watching the outside Gooch valve gear working can be quite distracting.

 

 

Engines on shed.  Edinburgh Railway 2-4-0 'Zeus', Edinburgh & Glasgow Railway Beyer-Peacock 2-2-2 and a pair of Edinburgh & Glasgow Railway Cramptons.

 

 

New station and engine sheds only just completed.  There are three stations on the line now and I'm still trying to think up names for them.

 

 

Found my Hurst 0-4-2WT in NBR Ochre livery.

 

 

 

S&DR Bouch 4-4-0

 

 

 

Edit: Paul told me that all the mid-19th century models I have came about due to a commission he had from a Scottish chap who wanted to build a layout based on the Edinburgh docks circa 1850-1900.  There are apparently a good many buildings available from this commission project and I've been giving them a good looking over.  Of course the larger dockside buildings won't be suitable for my line, but there are quite a few others that would be.

Edited July 30, 2018 by Annie

[Annie]

I've been able to get my hands on some 4 wheel NSR coaches built around circa 1870 and they have great potential for skinning into similar coaches of the period from other railways.

 

 

 

Edited July 31, 2018 by Annie

[Annie]

I'm not claiming that these are totally accurate representations of NBR 4 wheelers, but I think they will do just fine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh look both of the Thompson twins are on the train!

 

 

Edited July 31, 2018 by Annie

[NeilHB]

I think they look very nice Annie.

[Annie]

My test layout now has a name, - 'Cairnrigg to Balessie NBR'.  Don't look for those place names on a map because they are entirely fictitious.

 

I really like this EB Wilson well tank 0-6-0, - I just wish I knew more about it.

 

 

 

 

 

[Caley Jim]

Wee correction, Annie.  NBR wagons were grey, not red oxide.  Also not sure about the black framing, I think they were all-over grey.  NBR experts will be able to clarify.  These also seem to have no side doors.  The CR did have some which had no side doors (primarily for delivering coal to Central Station Hotel and lettered as such), but I don't know if the NB had any.

 

Just being pedantic as usual!

 

Jim

[Annie]

Your input is always welcome Jim.  Paul from Paulz Trainz told me a short while ago that all his mid-19th century rolling stock is based on actual prototypes, but I have been wondering lately if some of his wagons aren't actually from the NBR or it's constituent companies, but are wagons from other railway companies that were scooped in on a 'that'll do' basis.  As to livery colours I also found out the other day that only service types of rolling stock were red and that grey was the correct colour for everything else. 

Those coal wagons could very well be from the Caley, - but for now until I know more it's not too difficult to re-texture the wagons into a grey livery, - just a little tedious.

 

I have been doing some re-textures on suitable donor wagon meshes to create early 1870's 3 and 4 plank NBR wagons which I'm reasonably happy with.  And yes they are grey Jim.  The question of how dark that grey should be is something I don't know so I've taken a stab at it and made a guess at the colour.

 

Even with locomotives Paul took some liberties.  My Bouch 4-4-0's were sold to me as being NBR engines in Edinburgh & Glasgow livery, but they aren't of course and are S&DR engines through and through which I knew before I purchased them.  I know most of my engines in E&GR green should be in NBR ochre brown, but I just happen to like the E&GR livery.  I can't find the possible EB Wilson 0-6-0WT (in my pictures above)  in the NBR locomotives list the NBR Society has on their website so I'm starting to think it might be another 'that'll do' engine co-opted from somewhere else.  I don't really mind that so much as it's a really nice locomotive and it looks the part even with its doubtful provenance.  Very useful for short distance goods trains and it runs beautifully.

[Caley Jim]

Those coal wagons could very well be from the Caley, - 

Not so sure about that.  This one of the ones without side doors.

 

 

The more common ones had a single side-hinged door in the centre or off set towards the left hand end of the vehicle as viewed.  i.e. the doors were diagonally opposite each other.

 

 

Jim

[Annie]

Yes those Caley wagons look familiar Jim.  I can remember building some like that in 'S' scale a long while ago now and can particularly remember the diagonally off-set side doors.

 

Anyway this is what I did to my digital wagons.  Paul's textures can be a bit maddening to work with, but I think I've ended up with something better than they were before.

 

[Caley Jim]

Looking more NB, but, as you say, the wagons are not quite right anyway.  For one thing they should have outside W-hangers and the verticals were heavy wooden framing as per the photos I posted. still, nearer early wagons than anything else.

 

Jim

[Annie]

I think I can live with them for now Jim.  If I knew anything about 3D modelling I'd make my own, but since I can't I have to put up with trying to re-texture over other people's mistakes.in an effort to make them look better.  

[Annie]

After a session of fixing track alignments and faffing about with signals it was time to play trains for a while.  This is 'Aries' a 'Zeus' class engine of the early 1850s and it's a very nice runner too.

 

Waiting for the 'off' at Balessie.

 

 

 

And under way.

 

 

 

 

Earlier on one of the Beyer-Peacocks was working the local passenger service.  It's not really their usual task, but the 2-4-0WT that was supposed to rostered on wasn't available.  This in No.3 in E&GR red livery just to show that I don't always run green engines.

 

 

And here's the local passenger service with one of the 2-4-0WT engines in charge.  I have three in E&GR green in various degrees of weathering.  This is the really mucky one.  I also have one in NBR ochre brown, though I'm not especially keen on the early NBR ochre livery.

 

 

It's not all running about with posh engines on passenger trains; - I do run goods trains as well.  The Hurst 0-4-2WT's usually handle the local pick up goods work which they do quite a good job of doing.  When I purchased the Hursts (my first mid-19th century engines) from Paulz Trainz Paul gave me four in green in different degrees of weathering, one in NBR ochre and one in Caley blue (!!!!).  I don't think I paid for that many, but he must've been in a good mood that day.

 

 

Hiding under the tarpaulins are a pair of the NBR four plank wagons I made new textures for.

 

 

 

 

Balessie station yard with the engine shed on the right hand side of the picture.

 

 

Beyer-Peacock singles on-shed.  Beautiful engines to drive in the simulator.  They are initially slow to accelerate from rest, but deceptively fast once they have their big driving wheel wound up.  With tender brakes only you really do have to watch your stopping distances.  They are my favourite digital model engines bar none.

 

 

 

The Cramptons are off the layout being gently overhauled at the moment, but will make a return.  Something tells me that I may have more than the E&GR actually owned, but I guess I can cope with that.

 

[Caley Jim]

I like the empty barrel trucks. Not something you see modelled very often. Any photos I've seen of the prototypes had the barrels, of various sizes, just tossed in any old how, not as nearly stacked as you have!

 

Jim

[Annie]

My wagon loaders have OCD Jim  

 

The barrel wagons are by Paulz Trainz, but I re-textured them to look more weathered and worn.  The barrel loads are interactive so I can send the goods train off to 'the rest of the line' represented by a portal track and the barrel wagons will come back empty.

[Annie]

Evening coal train on my Cairnrigg to Balessie layout.  S&DR Bouch 4-4-0 in charge.

 

 

 

[Annie]

I finally have a proper collection of early signals on my Cairnrigg to Balessie layout, but it hasn't been smooth sailing.  The junction signals are fine and even have the sound of the operating mechanism as the signal arm moves; - it's the home and distant signals that are the problem.  Out of the box the lamps changed colour as they should and the operating mechanism went 'clack' when it should, but the signal arm itself would continually rise and fall when the line was clear and stay resolutely motionless in the clear position when the lamp showed red for danger.  I looked at the config files for the signals and they are identical to those for the junction signals which work fine so I can only conclude that the animation file has a fault and I can't do anything about those.  So what I've done is bodge the files so the signal arm always remains at 'danger'.  The lamps are still working as they should though and the sound file is still going 'clack' even though the signal arm isn't moving and I guess that less than ideal state of affairs is better than having no early signals at all.

 

[Annie]

Now that Cairnrigg to Balessie had become a proper layout instead of just a test track I'd modded up from an underwhelming layout I'd downloaded from the DLS I needed to do quite a bit of under the hood configuring to set it all up properly.  After I'd done that I had my complete layout looking just as nice as before, but none of the old sessions would work anymore due the config changes I'd made.  Nothing dire, - it just meant that I had to place all the engines and rolling stock on the layout again, - but that was an opportunity to sort out what I wanted to use and put the rest back in my digital trainset box.

 

Testing was needed to make sure everything worked; - so just because I could.......

 

 

Paul of Paulz Trainz assures me that some E&GR engines did get painted in Caley livery, but I have my doubts.  The blue Hurst 0-4-2WT was a free gift when I purchased the rest of my Hurst 0-4-2WT's and it's never really been run much.  So I dusted it off and replaced its 'rollerskate' engine spec file with a properly written one, gave it a decent whistle sound file instead of the horrible one it had and placed it on the layout along with a train of four wheel Caley coaches.

 

Leaving Cairnrigg behind and heading for the big station at Balessie.

 

 

 

Compulsory exiting the tunnel snap.

 

 

Straight through Rosstyre without stopping just like an express train.

 

 

Past the old ballast pit on the approach to Balessie (WIP with trackwork levelling and final scenic work still to do)

 

 

Past the signals at the station throat.

 

 

Past the engine shed at Balessie, the wee blue Hurst making all the dour old E&GR Beyer-Peacock singles stare at it in surprise........

 

 

And then it disappeared into the portal at the end of the layout and no doubt onwards along the rest of the NBR until it ran out of coal.

 

All a bit of fun, but it did tell me everything was working fine and there were no issues needing to be addressed.