Deliberately Old-Fashioned 0-Gauge, Chapter 2

[Lacathedrale]

@Nearholmer when I got into tinplate before you had some sage advice about various BL, Darstaed, Ace Locomotives and the qualities about various releases - is that written down somewhere? For example I remember you saying the BL Mogul was a bit of a duff locomotive, the Ace Schools was noisy, the King Arthur was good, etc. ?

[Nearholmer]

I think it’s in Chapter 1 somewhere, but 

to correct your memory, or to correct any ‘duff gen’ that I gave:

 

- the modern BL mogul comes in two variants, the early one having a really, awfully, screechy gearbox, the later one being like a sewing machine;

 

- I don’t recall saying that the Ace Schools is noisy; mine isn’t.

 

Are you thinking of dipping a toe in the water again? If so, which loco did you have in mind?

[Metropolitan H]

As you have LBSCR leanings, you might want to peruse the latest (todays issue) of the WJVintage newsletter - see https://www.wjvintage.co.uk/category/latest-newsletter/ - for the next instalment of their Oceanic series of locos.

 

As I already have 2 similar - but light green - locos and enough LNER teak coaches for two reasonable trains I am keeping my hands in my pockets at present.

 

Regards

Chris H

Edited May 16, 2023 by Metropolitan H

[Nearholmer]

Hmmm …… if Birlstone were still in being, maybe, but you’ve seen Paltry Town, and it really is only for small engines, so probably not.

 

The malachite one is tempting though, simply because that livery appeared so bizarre on them. There are some colour shots taken c1939, and the colour is too radical for such a staid-looking machine. TBH, all the contemporary photos, and the preserved locos painted that way, suggest to me that it was the wrong colour for traditionally shaped steam locos.

Edited May 16, 2023 by Nearholmer

[GRASinBothell]

Well, I've ordered Beachy Head in BR lined black (to go with my King Arthur in pre-1956 BR green). When she was the last Brighton Atlantic, she was the chosen motive power for various enthusiasts specials. Perhaps an excuse for one turning up at Paltry Town...

Gordon

[Nearholmer]

Anyone who has worked on the railways will, at some stage have been based at a depot, or worked on some piece of plant in converted arches, so in memory of the various ones that I have spent time in, here is Paltry Town Depot and Stores. I’m not sure which department it belongs to, but they’ve got a van.

 

I’m drunk on paint fumes, and beginning to get weary of finding bits that need touching-up (I’ve done the bit above that lintel since spotting it in the photo).

 

[Hroth]

5 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

I’m not sure which department it belongs to, but they’ve got a van.

 

By the colour-coding of the van, it must be the H&S(Scurvey) department...

 

[Nearholmer]

Penal, rather than medical, in origin.

 

[Nearholmer]

Getting to the point now where the remaining imperfections are ones I can live with.

 

For some reason, it makes me think of The Isle of Wight.

 

 

[Nearholmer]

This bit is hidden when it’s in place at home, so I thought I’d show it now, before I put it back.  No old-fashioned layout is complete without a retaining wall smothered with a random selection of adverts!

 

 

[GRASinBothell]

Intriguing figure with fez and shopping basket. Did he come with one of the Tintin vehicles?

Gordon

[Nearholmer]

He did. He’s a sort Mister Magoo character, who wanders out in the street without looking, causing the prison van to crash, leading to Tintin escaping while assumed unconscious.

 

 

These Tintin vehicles are perfect for the sort of look I want, nice and plain, look well alongside Dinky etc. Oodles of different ones were made for a French collectors’ magazine, and at the time they were very good value indeed, but I only nabbed a few, and now they are horribly expensive ‘collectibles’ ……. Just like our toy trains, I suppose.

 

 

 

Edited May 17, 2023 by Nearholmer

[Nearholmer]

Paltry Junction - Change for Paltry Town. A bit lacking in facilities, and not a place to linger on a cold, wet night. There is a “medium term development plan” to provide protection from the weather, and even a station name board.

 

 

[St Enodoc]

15 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

A bit lacking in facilities, and not a place to linger on a cold, wet night.

Rather like Bala Junction then! Coming on nicely.

[ian]

1 hour ago, Nearholmer said:

There is a “medium term development plan” to provide ... a station name board.

 

Steady on, you don't want to spoil those passengers too much!

[Nearholmer]

My main objection to station name boards is how fiddly they are to paint.

 

I’m just glad that I’m not into welsh railways.

[ian]

Ah, go on, you know you want to.

 

[Schooner]

All together now!

[BroadLeaves]

On 09/05/2023 at 18:55, Nearholmer said:

 

 

 

 

 

I think this is absolutely brilliant.

It's railway modelling...  

...distilled to its purest form.

There is always elegance and beauty in simplicity.

[GRASinBothell]

Likewise, I have quite a few of the Tintin vehicles for my layout, and to go on the "French" modules I take to shows here in Washington State. I have my family programmed to look for those or other 1/43 diecast vehicles if they can't think of anything else for birthday or Christmas. There are a couple of very British vehicles in the range - a Triumph Herald with a caravan, and a fire engine, but those would probably need to be removed when the layout is in pre-nationalization mode. None of mine came with stand-alone figures. They are all in (or at least attached to) the vehicles.

I'm surprised you say that painting station nameboards is fiddly. Mine get a coat of overall cream, with the name part being printed on my computer. Simplistic, maybe...

 

 

Of course, you could always get them from Graham Lock. They would certainly have the vintage look.

 

Gordon

[Nearholmer]

I might yet resort to printing the sort of  enamel ones that the SR replaced the old-style ones with for the junction, but so far, fiddly painting.

 

 

 

[F-UnitMad]

13 hours ago, GRASinBothell said:

 

 

That's terrible!!!! 🙄🙄🙄🤣🤣🤣🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

Now go to your room, young man, and have a good long think about what you've done....

[Northroader]

Downpatrick loop platform, BCDR:

[uax6]

On 18/05/2023 at 13:03, Nearholmer said:

Paltry Junction - Change for Paltry Town. A bit lacking in facilities, and not a place to linger on a cold, wet night. There is a “medium term development plan” to provide protection from the weather, and even a station name board.

 

 

 

Loving the grounded full brake on the platform. Just the name board required and you have a perfect GE station!

 

Andy G

[Nearholmer]

In odd moments here and there, I’ve been clean g and sparingly re-lubricating creaky old BL mechanisms, and trying to find the locos that behave best over point-work. The bogies on the 4-4-0s are only held on the track by gravity and good luck, and the more worn ones are a bit short of the latter. The winners are these three, all c700mA running light, and acceptably well-behaved:

 

 

The carriages are simply temperamental, because they have an inherent design weakness in that the bogies are rather delicate. 
 

Plus, the nearest I can get to an audience perspective when at home: