Dorsetmike

Finally got my 3 set 394 and 2 x 4 compt brake 3rds to make up another set that the compo has been waiting for. I've been exchanging words with a chap on Shapeways "forum" re 3d printing open 3rds and catering cars. I'll also hopefully be having words with Adam Warr of Electra about some vinyls,in tha absence of any restaurants it should be possible to hack the windows etc of a Farish mainline to get an Ironclad Restaurant, the Maunsell restaurants have recessed doors which make things a bit more awkward. The following image is work in progress, stretched to 59' to fit the Farish mainline, needs a bit more work, ventilators could be improved, only photo I could find the lining is not visible, so I've gone for the general looks of the Dapol stock. If anybody wants to play with it just right click the image and select "Copy image", open it in any image editor. I'm also working on a 3rd open, but those recessed doors again!

I've always thought that passenger loco lining was a black border with a thin white line inside it, boiler bands were white/black/white yet Fox supply N gauge sets for the N15/King Arthur class which have yellow in place of white. Carter's "Britains railway liveries" tends to support the Black/white pre Bulleid then Black/yellow, whereas Bradley says that black/yellow started to appear in 1936 - 2 years pre Bullied. I have 3 sets of the Fox ones and intend to use them on H15, S15, N15 or a Nelson but do the rest in black/white unless I find some more definite information. The Fox ones don't include boiler bands so they may have to be white/black/white anyway. The main advantage of the Fox ones is that the cab and tender sides are supplied as single pieces, so curves "should" be that much easier for my 84 year old eyesight.

With the N gauge 4 compartment brake 3rds and some sets from the 39x series coming through from Dapol, it still leaves the restaurant car and open 3rds, plus for BR period the driving brake compo. It would appear that Dapol are unlikely to do them as "they are not economically viable" i.e they wouldn't sell in sufficient numbers as they (particularly the restaurant car) would normally only appear as one vehicle per train and not even in every train. This leaves many of us without the ability to make up convincing rakes for some of our trains. I have tried a bit of hacking but the recessed doors are a bit of a stumbling block, so my thoughts now turn to 3D printing, to this end I have started a "conversation" on Shapeways asking if there is any likeliihood of them appearing in 3D print, maybe a few supporting posts to said conversation might improve the chances. https://www.shapeways.com/forum/conversations/n-gauge-maunsell-open-3rd-coach-and-restaurant-car.495879/

Video of parts of the run https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FrttTIYReA

From Swanage to Wareham, Weymouth, Yeovil and return http://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/news/detail/southern-railway-1920s-mogul-steam-locomotive-hauls-train-on-dorset-main-line-for-first-time-in-52-years

Just a thought, has any manufacturer brought out RTR locos or stock which did not make it into BR livery? Having that one less livery option seems to kill any chance of older locos being produced.. I can't recall any in N gauge, (except maybe kits) I'm thinking mainly about loco classes scrapped before 1948. I model the SR 1930s and would love an Adams 4-4-0 or an Adams A12 0-4-2, at 83 my scratch building skills have deteriorated. From reading this and other railway forums it would seem that the vast majority of layouts and posts in general feature BR period and later and steam is becoming a minority. Looking at the Farish 2018 list tends to reinforce this view. I know the N Gauge Society ask for members modelling info, how about other clubs/societies; has this ever been published as percentages?

The Flour Mill assessment is being funnded by a private sponsor; the restoration appeal is curently sitting at about £43,000.

I heard yesterday eveninng that the T9 may have a cracked cylinder, 31806 is sharing Swanage>Norden services with diesels weekdays, weekends the M7 and 31806. As the M7 approaches ticket expiry they are not using it as much, hoping it keeps going until the Gala weekend.

OR Farish, Dapol, Union Mills, failing the RTR market maybe a kit maker, 3D printing could be a possibility. LSWR coaches are already available in kit form, so why not the T3

Just as a related item, the T9 has also arrived at Swanage, not sure when it will be running, at the moment they are running a diesel service but with the M7 scheduled to run at the weekend.

Corfe Castle is a good way inland so not much salt left in the winter winds by the time it gets there. However one of the Swanage volunteers tells me the intention is to have it under cover through the winter months. Looking at Google sattelite views of the line I would think that they could put some sort of building on one of the sidings at Furzebrook, there's already a fair amount of stock parked there. No immediate road access but the A 351 is only across one field and a minor road and a track cross the line close by, https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.647976,-2.0691053,514a,35y,22.24h/data=!3m1!1e3

I've since heard that she will be outside at Corfe for the summer, then under cover for the winter when a mechanical assessment may be carried out

There is a brief reference to the possibility of a return to steam in the current Swanage news of the unveiling http://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/news/detail/unique-victorian-steam-locomotive-unveiled-in-front-of-designers-descendants

Update in response to an email enquiry, I did enquire about the possibilty of restoration to running condition, the reply does not define the level or restoration, one can but hope!

Well 563 is now at Swanage. http://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/news/detail/unique-victorian-steam-locomotive-arrives-on-swanage-railway-thanks-to-the-national-railway-museum

(my apologies also for late reply, I don't visit this site every day) No, I made my own, initially printed on A4 labels, intention being to have vinyl ones produced. I scaled down 4mm drawings copied the colour of Dapol Maunsells and did the lining and lettering in photo editing software. I've not yet done any transparency printings. The open thirds work better than the restaurants, those recessed double doors on the restaurant make overlays a bit awkward, the end recessed doors of the open thirds are better

For those with Dapol N gauge Schools class; Just received an Email from Lytchett Manor models, N gauge SR nameplates, (with smokebox numberplates) are now listed on their website, 1 King Arthur class, 10 Schools and a load of WC & BoB, all at £7 plus £1 P&P, These are Clearance items so it's get 'em now or they'm gorn. (I've ordered mine) http://www.lytchettmanor.co.uk/lytchett-manor/nameplates---sr

Thanks, just had a look at Gould, that compares with the picture of a diag 2651 in King, so I'll go with that. (Methinks I should have started with the open 3rds, much simpler and good pics in Gould and King!)

I see no mention of catering vehicles - yet - I am currently hacking a Dapol corridor first into a Restaurant car (diag 2651) working from Mike Kings Illustrated History. I'm modelling mid 1930s, photos are somewhat thin on the ground; can any one tell me if there was any lettering on the doors, the only photo in King would appear to have nothing on the doors - not even lining. Elsewhere a picture of an Ironclad from around my period of interest shows a door lettered "Pantry"; what, if anything, would be on the recessed double doors my guess would be either Kitchen or Pantry (or both?) Would the single recessed door at the end be lettered First? Next project to follow will be 3rd open(s) depends on the availability of Dapol coaches at a bit below most Ebay prices, (best so far has been £16.99) I'll be printing overlays on OHP transparencies, cutting umpteen holes for windows in vinyl or paper is a PITA with 82 year old fingers and eyesight!

The Union Mills N gauge T9 is a wide cab with 6 wheel tender, I wanted a narrow cab and watercart, so I milled a few thou off each side of the cab and splashers, cut some plastic for coupling rod splashers, and replaced the UM tender with one from a Langley S15 kit on a Fleischmann 7161 chassis I need to redo the lining, I've now got some transfers to redo parts of it, the above was done by hand with a Rotring pen, when you get past 80 the hands are not as steady as they used to be. Continuing my habit of not being satisfied with RTR in out of the box condition, I now hacking a new Farish N into an N1.

I use the Minicraft most of the time, I have a mains powercraft one upstairs mainly used for track cutting with a sliting disc. I try and avoid colletts, all mine except a Lidl one have chucks, I tend to mislay or lose colletts and I find them a PITA having to keep swapping them when you change bits If I want really accurate I use the milling/drilling attachment on my Unimat Lathe (the older all metal one, not the more recent plastic job.

Squires stock Minicraft http://squirestools.com/12-07.pdf Wouldn't be without mine, also got the Jigsaw and the sander.

More at Swanage 4MT 80104 Swanage April '03 2 shots of M7 30053 arriving and preparing to run round, Swanage September '07 Eddystone at Corfe Castle, Swanage railway September '09

Tablet Exchange sequence at Harman's Cross, Swanage Railway September '09; S&D 88 coming in to down platform, 4MT 80104 awaiting in Up platform

More Southerners Eddystone, Swanage September '09 6695 Swanage September '09 4MT 80078 Swanage September '09 S&DJR 7F 88 Swanage September '09 M7 53 Swanage September '09