JZ

Her is the future #18 Looking at the wheels, it doesn't look like it has ever been run. Certainly never been lubricated, it was bone dry and tight. Used sewing machine oil on all the bearings and now it all rotates easily with twisting the shaft drive with my fingers. It needs a new shaft from the tender and I have yet to look inside it. Not sure about the raised SP lettering on the tender, I picked up a sheet of Microscale decals on ebay with small SPs and hope they are the same size. The actual #18 was preserved in 1954 and sister #9 ran the last SP steam narrow gauge service in 1959. sadly I missed it on my trip on the Durango & Silverton, as it was in the works for repairs after blowing a piston ring 4 weeks before I got there. Why a Southern Pacific loco on a mainly D&RGW/RGS layout. Well, in my world, it exists in that mythical place where many of the 3ft lines joined up. So now thinking about C&S for the mogul.

Narrow gauge they may be, but the all up weight of a K-27 is 111.5 tons.

Just came across this shot. Look at the state of those ties! Here we see Denver & Rio Grande Western No. 452 K-27 2-8-2 Mikado (Baldwin 1903) near stub of wye at "Peak" Dallas Divide, Colorado, September 26, 1951 Photograph by Robert "Uncle Bob" William Richardson Denver Library Digital Collection

Stripped the mogul down and find it is a runner, albeit very noisy, well the motor is. Big open frame jobbie. Don't know how the seller tested it, but as is usual with brass, tender pick up one side, loco the other and one of the bogies was the wrong way around. Quick rotation of one and it was sorted. Motor fills almost the whole of the tender, so I'll be sourcing a new motor at the Slim Gauge meet in Rugby in a couple of weeks. SP#18 should be with me in a day or so, so can get that sorted at the same time.

This will probably become RGS #11. If I can get it to run, it will be a challenge to get sound in it, but I don't think DCC would be a problem, using a Lenz Gold mini. Won this on ebay this evening. It need a new shaft from tender to loco, but otherwise a runner. Should be plenty of room for sound fitting in the tender. Lacks valve gear, but painting and weathering should disguise it a bit. Espeef5, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

They were on the Lord & Butler stand a RMweb members day. Busch do a strip 80mm wide by 1m long. Or there is the Wills sheets.

City of swimming pools - Judie Tzuke

Trip to Taunton this morning got me the last two buildings for Aberbargoed. Also picked up some Chooch walling and cobbles for in front of the Travellers' and between Smiths and the station.

Although Aberbargoed probably never saw a diesel, I fancy the thought of 'what if'. Passenger services withdrawn, but still some colliery traffic. Probably not enough to be worked by anything more than an 08. Were they used for short trip workings? Maybe a 25? Ebbw Junction had a few. Or maybe a 37? Mmmmmmmmmm............

Shouting at the big wall - Judie Tzuke

Probably leave it as it is then.

Motive power for the layout. 57XX It will be renumbered to 7787 probably. Only loco bought new for this project. To become 9488. 64XX. This one spent most of it's life in the West of England, but it did have a spell at Aberbeeg in the early 1960s.

I know they're not the right type, but they'll do for me. West Mon decals were bought from an ebay seller. I'll dig out some figures to go inside.

Precious things - Tori Amos

Another woman's dream - Edie Brickell

Lincoln Continental maybe?

That I would be good - Alanis Morissette

Thinking about the perennial problem on an end to end layout, how to deal with the scenic break. Maybe some form of colliery building at one end, but the other? Bridge? Tunnel?

Hand in my pocket - Alanis Morissette

This arrived in the post this morning. Picked up for a song on ebay. Far East Distributors Baldwin Mogul. Listed as a non runner. The gears in the loco seem smooth enough, so maybe an issue with the motor. Anyway, challenge accepted.

That would be the only one of these three remaining, but has been much modernised. Space constraints mean I only have room for two buildings.

Since you've been gone - Rainbow

Looking a how much will be modelled now. The aim is the boxed section in the photo and a bit more to the left. Nothing in front of the wall or embankment. The cottages to the right of Smiths will formed of this kit from Fair Price Models. Although low relief, I will be adding backs. Getting a good look at the building up the lane behind the Travellers' is not so easy. The ones that remain, in the centre, have been extensively modernised, if not rebuilt completely. One of them was the Quarryman's Arms, but which one? Anyway, I will be ordering these two from Scale Model Scenery.