AlfaZagato

Two other problems with Garratts in the UK were interference from the companies ordering them. LNER's U1 had six cylinders at Gresley's insistence. Compounded, too. Offhand, I'm not aware of any locomotive that was able to reliably feed six cylinders to any great effect, the U1 included. Basically restricted to banking, as it was built for. The LMS Garratts were infamously fitted with then-standard LMS axleboxes, with woefully insufficient bearing surfaces. Worse, this was never corrected, even when the issue was identified. Trains being tendered to the Garratts were also normally unfitted, leading to issues with controlling trains of such length on some of the hills on the LMS mainlines.

Very quick math shows just under a 15-ton axle loading with two added axles to make a Hudson/Baltic. That, of course, doesn't account for the weight of extended frames, bunker, water, or the new trailing bogie itself. Is it known how much a GWR bogie weighs?

Back to imaginary locomotives. An idea I know we've covered before, with no point other than it sounded neat. A King-class Mountain tank. Call it the Queen class. Maybe for heavy London expresses?

Still is in the US. Our railway unions had some sort of trick deal going, though. I've been told tales of five crew on a double, killing a case to a man on a 8-hour shift.

Yeah, that was, what the 1880's, at least?

We had a thread for that. It died after circular notions about how SWB PO wagons were the bane of operating existence. You English needed to slap your coal industry in the face and tell them to line up 30 years earlier than you did.

I think the reliability of early diesels is something not readily approached. Especially in regards to the high-power designs. By the time of rampant worldwide diselisation, EMD had already been building engines in the correct size bracket for about 10-15 years. Even with that experience, the design was only developing 100hp/cylinder, and was heavy to do so. There were designs with better specific outputs, but most of them needed significantly more upkeep. The Kraus-Maffeis were mentioned earlier? Part of what kept them from being successful in the US was the fact they needed nightly work in the best of times. SP was used to diesels that could go weeks or months between services. My understanding is that Deltics were on a similar interval. Tolerated probably due to nightly maintainence being somewhat more normal to a still very steam oriented British Railways.

I've always been jealous of your Mallet, Mike. Such an ugly thing...

Price isn't that bad at the end of the day. Compares very favorably against similar Continental prototypes. Heljan's always been on the high side, anyways (though I lucked out on my 77.) My bigger concern is what sort of esoteric adjustments will need to be made upon receipt. I've bought five Heljan locos thus far, three of them new. Of that fleet, two of the new ones needed attention before I could run them. Admittedly, those two were steam outline, not an electric as here. My 77 hasn't needed any attention.

Usually, the big stopping point for any electrification scheme was stringing the wires (or laying the rails, if going third or fourth rail.) Accounts take on initial outlay and labor for what has always been large amounts of a semiprecious metal (copper) against expected savings from fuel. I have to imagine most UK schemes also considered possible returns from supplying domestic power from company-owned plants. That option, in the timeframes we're largely talking, has a knock-on effect on another rail-served industry, gas plants.

A Barnum, isn't it?

Well, if rule 1 does apply, you could have yourself a Clyde Puffer...

My humble request is an updated 1400/4800 in N. The original Dapol tooling can still be had second-hand. They seem to be dropping like flies in running. Mine died a couple of years ago, just after the last run had dried up. I could also see doing a new version would allow for a 517 to be produced, using similar techniques that were used for 5700/8750 differences.

Stop, it's fine, leave it. Next project.

Rapido confirmed with me that the MRC "Tech" series of controllers are OK for their coreless motors, as in the J70. Just to avoid the 1300/1370 controllers. Were GER sector/region plates still carried in LNER service? I have 7128 in wartime NE. I was able to find pic of her in Wisbech in 1937. My understanding was that the GER and BR plates both were carried offset next to the doors. The pic I found has the one door open to cover that location. Also, has anyone had any luck in setting the side windows open? Mine came with plenty of etched frames to do so. It did look like, though, that Rapido had molded an raised edge next to the side windows.

As @Jeremy C said, geared locos are damnably slow. They also have no potential for higher speeds. The 0-8-0t's you mentioned, which I'm guessing is the Z class, were by no means fast. Z's could, though, manage limited trip working that would be beyond the reasonable means of any Sentinel, Shay, Climax or Heissler. Also, there are or were punitive tariffs that largely prevented Commonwealth purchasers from buying much anything outside the Commonwealth.

Would there not be raised stones or a sleeper at the end of the narrow gauge to halt wagons?

I purchased a coach lot off that auction site. Lot was listed as 'LMS Coaches,' and at a reasonable price. Here's the row. I needed to have looked closer before committing. I'm not certain on how much use any of these will be. Reasoning there, I'm looking for coaches for a preordered Improved Precedent in LMS black. I don't fancy buying more kits right now, either. Two Lima vans. I'm pretty certain the CCT on the right does me no good. I've read somewhere that something can be made of the bogie van on the left, though. I think it was Railway Modeller earlier this year. Two Hornby items. The TPO is a little goofy. The BK, I don't know. Looks an awful lot like a Mk. 1 to me. Not much use either way here. Dapol here. The composite looks reasonable. Not a mainline coach, I don't think? The brake, again, looks like a Mk. 1 to me. Also, the brake would need new bogies. Wheelsets won't stay in the existing bogies. I believe this was a Triang. That roof is painful. Just, really painful to my eyes. Mainline, here. Coach on the right I'm pretty certain is what I was after - Mainline's Period 1. Looks decent to me, too. That other coach. Such heavy lines on the roof... Finally, my mystery coach. No make on undercarriage. Looks like another Mk. 1. So, is there anything else here that I could really use?

I hate to approach controllers again. I just received my copy of a J70 in wartime NE black & brown, full skirts. The only controller I have handy is an aging MRC Tech II 2500. I can't find a straight answer anywhere if it's considered feedback or not. I've avoided it so far, as it makes the motors hum in my Trix V188. Does anyone here have any experience with coreless motors and MRC 'Tech' controllers? All I've found elsewhere is condemnation of the '1300' series controllers.

Excellent, thank you. I will likely put in an order in the next day or two.

It was actually Bygone Wagons I was thinking of. I have been eyeballing their Crocodiles for a minute. Also been looking at their LMS lowmac. Sadly, our club's layout may not be able to handle the Crocodiles.

That's excellent to hear, @MarcD. Thank you for chiming in. Will it be an etched kit?

That's an appealing look, with the 'profiled' cab and curved windows. Seems sensible to me, too. I never understood the little spectacles barely large enough for the engineer's face.

For your freight stock, have you considered some odd wagons or excess loads? Admittedly I'm trying to live vicariously via your layout in asking. Could be some interest to manage one of the bigger Crocodiles through the station.

P-way brake? I'm guessing by the offset door.