Annie

Steaming well. N.E.R. 'J' Class No. 1522 at work testing an engine spec intended for a GNR Stirling Single. I like to drive using the steam controls and unfortunately the older H2 Atlantic engine spec isn't all that good when used in this manner. The S&C with its long gradients isn't the best test track for a single driver locomotive, but the 'J' Class made a fair task of it. I think the fireman would have dissolved into a puddle of sweat though with the effort involved with keeping the 'J' Class steaming. If I'm going to play about on the S&C I should get my collection of Midland engines out of my digital trainset box and leave the N.ER. engines to get on with it elsewhere.

I made the same mistake and thought it was the name of some Greek demigod or nymph as well.

Early Morning Broad Gauge Cheer Up Photo: "Eupatoria" was one of the second round of renewals, outshopped in November 1878, and seen here in brand new condition. Take note of the Armstrong roll-top chimney - this was probably one of the last Rovers to be fitted with this chimney as William Dean had taken over as Chief Locomotive Engineer just a year earlier. The location is Westbourne Park. The building in the background is Westbourne School. Image courtesy of the Broad Gauge Society,

I didn't mean to criticise your choice of engine specs Ed, - I was simply curious as to which engine spec you'd used. The test I ran on the S&C with a train of 6 wheelers typical of the late 1880s- early 1890s showed me that your choice of an engine spec was reasonably close in terms of performance. I do realise that engine specs for compound locomotives can only be at best an approximation even with 2995valliant's near magic skills. I'm look forward to giving the 3CC a run as i'm guessing it will be a real treat to drive. The only engine spec I've ever successfully managed to create from scratch was for a small single cylinder Foden tram engine and that just about did my head in with all the necessary calculations to figure out the boiler and firebox specs as well as the piston movement and valve timing. I would not know where to begin with a much larger steam engine. After a few experiments I found that the engine spec for a 14xx worked well enough with my Paulz Trainz mid-19th century 22.5 ton Beyer-Peacock single wheeler, but I do agree that finding a good match for some older or more unusual engines can be a challenge.

I know finding suitable engine specs can be difficult where one might not exist, -so I was a little surprised to discover that Mr Worsdell's Von Borries Compound Class 'J' was running on an engine spec intended for a LBSCR H2 Class Atlantic (170lb). No.1619, - the Worsdell-Smith Compound 4-4-0 turned out to have an engine spec for a Midland Compound which I would suppose would be a closer match, - but that H2 engine spec was a definite surprise. 2995valliant, - who is the Uk engine spec expert for Trainz is presently working his way down a very long list of British engines, but there doesn't seem to be anything listed for the N.E.R. Compound engines.

So if I change the 'J' Class's number to 1517 and find a suitable model figure and name it 'Mr Smith' and place him on the footplate I might do better and achieve 90 mph.

I also have N.E.R. No.1619, - the Worsdell-Smith Compound 4-4-0. This snap was taken at Appleby Junction on the Settle & Carlisle route that dates from Trainz Classics 3 which was released back in 2008, - though it's had some updating since then. Time period is the BR dismal transition error which can't be helped, but it's still a darn fine place to run steam engines around on.

Sorry only 84 mph on DCC controls. 0.6% gradient, 146 Ton train of seven N.E.R. 6 wheelers. (S&C Route borrowed for the test) I might try it again using the steam control set.

All on hold for the foreseeable future unfortunately. Doing basic self care as well as what light housework tasks I can manage are about the limit without trying to add layout building into the mix.

Haven't tried giving it a proper run yet. I'd need to do it on 'Tristyn in Winter' as it's got a long mainline that's better set up for speed runs.

A little more pottering around my 'Cairnrigg to Balessie' layout. Took a snap of Ed Heaps's exquisite N.E.R. Worsdell Von Borries Compound Class 'J' at Balessie MPD. Not really the kind of engine that would have been seen in the district, but I couldn't turn down the opportunity to take a nice screenshot.

Placeholder snap to let you all know I'm doing more or less Ok. Very sleepy and needing to sleep a lot, but I seem to be getting past the worst of having caught the plague.

Nice that my freelance No.5 sparked off some inspiration for your own interesting Broad Gauge freelance 4-2-4T engines Isambird. I originally assembled it from a collection of parts that weren't really meant to fit together to create a track testing locomotive for the Trainz simulator, but as it happen it turned out to be a reasonably useful engine to have on the roster.

Similar to Brunel's attitude towards GWR engines carrying any identifying markings, - 'People know who we are'.

https://broadgauge.co.uk/locations/kingswear_station.shtml