Mid-Cornwall Lines - 1950s Western Region in 00

[St Enodoc]

A very good number ... chosen purely at random, I presume?

Nothing to do with alcoholic beverages Graham, although it has exhibited some pretty random behaviour! It disappeared down a hole on Cwmafon at a Leeds show many years ago and refused to come out until the boards were being stacked on end back at the clubrooms. It has thus passed into LMRS folklore.

 

The real 1664 was a St Blazey loco. On the Mid-Cornwall Lines the model hauls the short clay train to and from Wheal Veronica dries.

[St Enodoc]

As is often pointed out in another RMweb place, a pannier rarely offends. Now, so far all bar one of my 57xx/8751 have the original style of cab roof, the exception being a conversion of an old Mainline body using the M&L kit. So, when a recent Bachmann 8751 appeared on the Widnes pre-owned page at a very competitive price it was too good too miss. Add a set of Fox plates and 3635 will soon join the Mid-Cornwall Lines fleet.

[St Enodoc]

Yesterday I was lucky enough to spend the evening at a real operating model railway, owned and built by an old friend but which I had never had the chance to see before. The layout was started more than 50 years ago and is operated to a fast-clock timetable, with full bell communication and a unique (as far as I know) goods wagon routing system. The evening flew by and I was delighted to be invited to come back whenever I am in Melbourne on a Wednesday. I certainly came away with one or two ideas that could be adapted and adopted on the Mid-Cornwall Lines.

 

More details of the layout are here:

 

http://modelrailmusings.weebly.com/layout---mousehaven.html

[St Enodoc]

A busy day or two but nothing physical to show for it really. I spent a good couple of hours yesterday testing all the trains ready for next Saturday's BRMA meeting. Nearly everything was fine although a couple of locos that haven't seen much use lately didn't want to play, so they have been sent to the naughty shelf until I get round to repairing them. Surprisingly (to me anyway) the rolling stock all behaved well. The most interesting find, however, was that on leaving Penzance loop 9 in the Down direction a whole train managed to derail itself. Clearly, this was a track problem and it turned out that there was a bit of a dog-leg between one point and the next causing flange-climb on the high (outer) rail. I tweaked the rails gently with pliers and everything seems OK now. The reason that the problem hadn't shown up before is probably because that particular piece of track isn't used in that direction during the current sequence.

 

As each train circulated, I moved the others in the same road by hand to leave space behind them. As I was doing this I realised that, by adjusting the lengths of a couple of the goods trains, I could in fact get some more trains on to the layout! So now there are 32 plus the railbus. The extra trains are only short and really represent branch trains rather than main line ones, but they will add some variety and interest.

 

Once the testing was done, I finished tidying up. All that is left to do is a quick run round with the Dyson on Saturday morning.

 

And now for something completely different.

 

On page 1 of this topic I described some of my early layouts, which used mostly Tri-ang stock. Over the years, nearly all of this got sold off/damaged beyond repair/given away/lost. A few years ago I thought it would be nice to build the collection up again. Gradually, through eBay, exhibition second-hand stalls and so on, I've managed to do just that. The last piece of the jigsaw was the first loco I ever owned, a clockwork R151 0-6-0ST. I finally tracked one down in reasonable condition at a fair price and it arrived in the post last week. I've no plans to build a layout to run these trains (famous last words...), so it didn't really matter if it worked or not, but I was delighted when I gave the key a couple of turns, released the brake and away it went across the workbench top. I was even more delighted when, after moving the reversing lever, it came back too!

 

 

Edited July 20, 2023 by St Enodoc
images restored

[Mallard60022]

Them were the days...................classic loco'.

Phil

[The Stationmaster]

A busy day or two but nothing physical to show for it really. I spent a good couple of hours yesterday testing all the trains ready for next Saturday's BRMA meeting. Nearly everything was fine although a couple of locos that haven't seen much use lately didn't want to play, so they have been sent to the naughty shelf until I get round to repairing them. Surprisingly (to me anyway) the rolling stock all behaved well. The most interesting find, however, was that on leaving Penzance loop 9 in the Down direction a whole train managed to derail itself. Clearly, this was a track problem and it turned out that there was a bit of a dog-leg between one point and the next causing flange-climb on the high (outer) rail. I tweaked the rails gently with pliers and everything seems OK now. The reason that the problem hadn't shown up before is probably because that particular piece of track isn't used in that direction during the current sequence.

 

As each train circulated, I moved the others in the same road by hand to leave space behind them. As I was doing this I realised that, by adjusting the lengths of a couple of the goods trains, I could in fact get some more trains on to the layout! So now there are 32 plus the railbus. The extra trains are only short and really represent branch trains rather than main line ones, but they will add some variety and interest.

 

Once the testing was done, I finished tidying up. All that is left to do is a quick run round with the Dyson on Saturday morning.

 

And now for something completely different.

 

On page 1 of this topic I described some of my early layouts, which used mostly Tri-ang stock. Over the years, nearly all of this got sold off/damaged beyond repair/given away/lost. A few years ago I thought it would be nice to build the collection up again. Gradually, through eBay, exhibition second-hand stalls and so on, I've managed to do just that. The last piece of the jigsaw was the first loco I ever owned, a clockwork R151 0-6-0ST. I finally tracked one down in reasonable condition at a fair price and it arrived in the post last week. I've no plans to build a layout to run these trains (famous last words...), so it didn't really matter if it worked or not, but I was delighted when I gave the key a couple of turns, released the brake and away it went across the workbench top. I was even more delighted when, after moving the reversing lever, it came back too!

 

20170826 003 Tri-ang clockwork 0-6-0ST 748.JPG

 

20170826 001 Tri-ang clockwork 0-6-0ST 748.JPG

 

Will it run on a DCC equipped layout or does it need a chocolate clockwork chip, er cookie?

[St Enodoc]

Will it run on a DCC equipped layout or does it need a chocolate clockwork chip, er cookie?

I did try it on the SMP code 75 and it ran very nicely - on its flanges along the inside of the chairs.

[Barry O]

It's DCC. You use your digits to set it going and reversing.....hat, coat,TTFN!

 

Baz

[Jesse Sim]

Pretty keen for the weekend! Get to see some trains go round!!! 

[St Enodoc]

It's DCC. You use your digits to set it going and reversing.....hat, coat,TTFN!

 

Baz

Digital Command, definitely. Control - not so sure...

Edited August 30, 2017 by St Enodoc

[St Enodoc]

Pretty keen for the weekend! Get to see some trains go round!!! 

Me too. See you on Saturday.

[Barry O]

Enjoy the running session. Some of us are umpiring a cricket match on Saturday.

 

Baz

[St Enodoc]

Enjoy the running session. Some of us are umpiring a cricket match on Saturday.

 

Baz

Well, I didn't think you were going to come but thanks for letting me know.

[St Enodoc]

As is often pointed out in another RMweb place, a pannier rarely offends. Now, so far all bar one of my 57xx/8751 have the original style of cab roof, the exception being a conversion of an old Mainline body using the M&L kit. So, when a recent Bachmann 8751 appeared on the Widnes pre-owned page at a very competitive price it was too good too miss. Add a set of Fox plates and 3635 will soon join the Mid-Cornwall Lines fleet.

Both loco and plates arrived today - 10 calendar days since ordering, which is an improvement on the two weeks or more that has been typical recently. They are now safely ensconced on the round tuit shelf.

Edited August 31, 2017 by St Enodoc

[St Enodoc]

A very good BRMA meeting this afternoon with 12 visitors plus myself including several RMwebbers, namely nerron, RudderC, RodneyV and Jesse Sim. There was much interest in the ADS8fx decoders, the route-setting using the Mini Panels, the equalising lever on the double slip and especially the Modratec lever frame kit. Furthermore, a very balmy spring afternoon and a selection of Veronica's home-made cakes (plus the obligatory Tim-Tams) for afternoon tea meant that without doubt a good time was had by all. Oh, and we did run a good proportion of the 32 trains plus the railbus with no calamities - although the Up sleeping cars came close to replicating the Tay Bridge disaster when someone (not me!) pressed a route button too early...

[Barry O]

St Enodoc

 

glad it went well. I did think about it today in between umpiring what was a low scoring but very good game of cricket!

 

Baz

[St Enodoc]

St Enodoc

 

glad it went well. I did think about it today in between umpiring what was a low scoring but very good game of cricket!

 

Baz

Thanks Baz. Unless you had a very early start, the meeting was probably long over before you took the field.

[Barry O]

It's September so it was a 12:30 start. So you should have been finished.

 

Baz

[Jesse Sim]

A very good BRMA meeting this afternoon with 12 visitors plus myself including several RMwebbers, namely nerron, RudderC, RodneyV and Jesse Sim. There was much interest in the ADS8fx decoders, the route-setting using the Mini Panels, the equalising lever on the double slip and especially the Modratec lever frame kit. Furthermore, a very balmy spring afternoon and a selection of Veronica's home-made cakes (plus the obligatory Tim-Tams) for afternoon tea meant that without doubt a good time was had by all. Oh, and we did run a good proportion of the 32 trains plus the railbus with no calamities - although the Up sleeping cars came close to replicating the Tay Bridge disaster when someone (not me!) pressed a route button too early...

It was a lovely day, thanks for having me. Lucky i was quick enough to prepare for the falling of coaches.

[St Enodoc]

It was a lovely day, thanks for having me. Lucky i was quick enough to prepare for the falling of coaches.

You're welcome Jesse.

[St Enodoc]

Hmm...

 

I wonder whether a Hatton's Barclay 0-4-0ST would be a better starting point for a Port of Par Bagnall than a Hornby Peckett?

 

A topic for this week's hotel thinking time...

 

As for the P, that has given a nudge to another of my might-but-probably-never-will projects - Horsted Keynes in about 1968, when I first visited (or even 1962 before the Seaford electric service finished).

[St Enodoc]

I wonder whether a Hatton's Barclay 0-4-0ST would be a better starting point for a Port of Par Bagnall than a Hornby Peckett?

My first round of Googling didn't turn up any drawings or lists of dimensions but the images on the Hatton's website suggest to me that the Barclay is bigger than the Peckett, so for the time being I will stick to my current plan.

[St Enodoc]

My first round of Googling didn't turn up any drawings or lists of dimensions but the images on the Hatton's website suggest to me that the Barclay is bigger than the Peckett, so for the time being I will stick to my current plan.

The RMweb thread on the new Hatton's Barclay:

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/126141-announcement-andrew-barclay-14-16-0-4-0st-in-oo-gauge/page-1

 

now includes a key piece of information, namely that the prototype wheelbase is 6 ft 0 in. Assuming that this is an accurate 24 mm on the model, scaling from the images on the Hatton's website (yes, I know, I know...) gives the height to the to the tank top as 38 mm and the wheel diameter as 14 mm. All of these dimensions are larger than the equivalents on the Hornby Peckett, so that will remain my starting point for the Bagnall.

[Barry O]

Have you thought about asking Mike or nick to etch a new chassis?

 

Baz

[St Enodoc]

Have you thought about asking Mike or nick to etch a new chassis?

 

Baz

Baz, I've thought about it but not for very long. I'd like to try bashing the RTR body first, leaving the chassis untouched. If, when I see the Peckett in the flesh, that doesn't look feasible then the only real answer will be to scratchbuild the whole thing (unless Judith Edge Kits come up with the goods in the meantime...).

 

In the absence of Tregissey Docks the idea of having the Bagnall at all is a bit of an extravagance anyway, as all it will do will be to sit at Wheal Veronica and shunt the two sidings. In real life the train engine did that, so if it all ends in tears I won't really be any worse off.

Edited September 15, 2017 by St Enodoc