MikeOxon

There's a new version of the 'Studio' software V3.0.293 - 2 April 2014 It seems to offer better drawing tools and also has a TWAIN interface to input directly from a scanner. I've only had a quick 'play' but it seems to be a significant enhancement. Mike

Thank you for the 'Tudorlink' reference, Mikkel. It is very useful as it gives an overview of the changes that took place in each decade. On thinking further, I suspect that the '24 years' may refer back to the opening of the Savoy restaurant, from the end of the period of the Dame Fashion book (1912). Possibly 'two dozen' seemed a more natural number, then, than the '25' we would tend to use. I've not really fixed my setting yet and, like most model railways, it will probably be somewhat flexible, depending on the whims of what I want to build! Since I have a Dean 4-2-2, this pushes me forward to1895 at least Stylistically, I like the Dean locomotives and coaches, immediately before the Churchward revolution, with its 'indecent' display of undergear and coarse angularity. Even the straight-framed 4-4-0s seem a little inelegant

I'll pass on the corset, KH1 In one of the books I've been reading, I read this account: ""I was placed, at the age of fifteen, at a fashionable school in London, and there it was the custom for the waists of the pupils to be reduced one inch per month. When I left school at seventeen my waist measured only thirteen inches, it having been formerly twenty three inches.". Although the medical profession had been pointing out the dangers since early in the century, the fashion persisted until the 20th-century. Indeed, Bedders, one thing leads to another. In my case, the interest in 19th-century railways arose from some ancestry research, which revealed several engine drivers amongst my forebears, including one who even had an interview with Mr G J Churchward, following some misdemeanor!

Thank you, Buckjumper. The whole subject of colour in the 19th century is fascinating, especially after the aniline dyes were synthesised - the most famous example being 'mauve'. Unless I start making my own figures, I'm not going to be able to do much other than choosing colours, so your advice is very welcome. Mike

Having built a Victorian train, I now have to think about providing some passengers. Since I know far less about 19th-century styles of dress than I did about 19th-century railways, when I started, I decided it was time for some reading. As I pointed out in a previous post, I have found the Internet Archive ( http://archive.org/ ) to be a very useful resource. Old 'out of copyright' books can either be read on-line or downloaded in formats such as PDF. In my current search, I found 'Godey's Lady's Book' for 1880 and 'Dame Fashion- Paris-London (1786-1912)' by Julius M.Price. Both books have copious illustrations so, with the help of these, I am well on the way to becoming an 'instant expert'. Dame Fashion 1889 It has become clear that the late-Victorian period saw great changes in social behaviour. Whereas, to our eyes, it seems to have been as stuffily formal as before, they saw things rather differently. The view from the 1890s was that "The type of the woman of fashion has altered beyond recognition during the past twenty-four years. She has emancipated herself from all the silly narrow mindedness which was the life burden of her grandmother when a girl. Class prejudice still exists, but it is becoming yearly less noticeable." Two factors are worth mentioning: 1.Before 1887 London fashionable life was the life one led at home but the opening of the Savoy Hotel in 1887 may be said to have commenced a new era when ladies could now go out and mix in wider company. 2. The rage for bicycling, which was the feature of the London season of 1896 and included all the ladies of smart society in England, was epoch-making in the history of feminine fashion. There was no place for the crinoline of the 1860s in this new world and even the bustle had to give way to practicality. Dame Fashion 1892-1893 I have some Langley "Vic/Edw. Upper Class figures". As my photo shows, these will need a fair bit of cleaning up but I shall now have to start practising with a small paint-brush. The porter with the trolley seems to have suffered some head injury but not enough to keep him off work 🙂 Langley Vic/Edw 00-scale Figures Mike

Thanks for pointing that out, 69843 - obvious when one thinks about it. As you say, the date must be wrong - it's an awful problem with these old photos

Pleased you have enjoyed this. I thought of it while travelling to London in the fog this morning! The scene is quite realistic

As I mentioned in the previous post, I have been trying to track down a photo of the prototype of Sir John's special train. Today, I have found one but unfortunately, the morning of April 1st 1892 was notable for the famous London 'pea-soup' fog. Despite the photographer's best efforts he has been unable to capture much detail of the train. He has, however, used sepia toning very effectively to enhance the subject 🙂 Train in London Smog - 1st April '92

Thanks, Mikkel, for pointing out the Andrew Stadden figures - they do look very good. I shall have to practice on the ones I have first, before I can hope to do them justice.

Never mind if Charles R. Dixon is shifty - what's his fortune and how much income per year? He does look a bit staid for these rather 'flighty' girls, though. I have some Langley "Vic/Edw. Upper Class figures" so, hopefully we'll be able to see them all, before too long. I don't think I'll be able to get near Job's painting skills, though. I'll be interested to see any photos you find. Although one reads about special trains, there seem to be very few photos. It's nice to have an 'interesting' train but it would be great to know that it's prototypical as well!

Excellent work! Figures are soooo difficult. His pose is great for propping up a suitable lamp-post. Mike

I'm pleased you find it an interesting train, Mikkel. The idea just grew - I built the Horsebox, then I got the Silhouette cutter and one thing led to another. I'm on a slippery slope, now I've given names to some of the characters. I'll soon have to keep a notebook of all their family histories! I expect there are some eligible bachelors in Farthing, who just might meet Amy and Blanche. I did like the photo that you linked - perhaps I should make a milk train next, since I have a Siphon. On second thoughts, I really must pay some attention to the scenery and I've never finished re-ballasting the track, after inserting a 3-way point, either. and, and, and.......... I've been doing a bit of maths! There are 5 vehicles, so I reckon that they could be arranged in 120 different ways behind the engine. Then, each could be placed either way round (hardly noticeable in the case of the V5). It would make an interesting shunting puzzle. Thank you for your suggestions too, Nick. Let's try : tri-comp, saloon, van, carriage, horsebox - definitely with help from the big hand in the sky

Interesting that it took so long! I seem to remember you wrote that you laminated the layers in pairs. Perhaps using threesomes would be better, as it might even up the stresses on each side of the central member. That's pure speculation! I think I'll stick to brass for running gear

Thank you Rich - that's exactly the sort of suggestion I was seeking and, yes, I like the U29 for the same reason, though it was awkward to draw since almost every panel is unique!. I think I read somewhere about the horses being at the back but it does seem more likely that the PBV would be at the end. I think I'll try: G13, U29, CT, N6, V5 starting from the engine. It's a good point about the destination. Since the party is heading for London then, perhaps, his saloon should be at the front. I remember the row, though, when they tried to reverse the formation of the HST's after the accidents outside Paddington. Perhaps I should seek Sir John's views first

I've finally worked out a simpler method for constructing a clerestory roof, so now I have all the vehicles needed to take Sir John's family up to London for the season. On my first U29 composite, described in recent posts, I folded the roof from a single sheet of 5 thou brass sheet but found it difficult to make the reverse folds correctly. For the family saloon, which I now believe to be Diagram G13, I have therefore made the roof in three parts - two separate sides and the raised centre section. This method of construction meant that only a simple right-angle fold was needed on each piece, and it was also easy to cut out slots for the windows, along the sides of the clerestory. Apart from that, I constructed the saloon in much the same way as I had built the U29 composite.. On the composite, there are four laminations to each side - the outer three of card and the inner of styrene, so that it could be 'welded' to the styrene ends. The tumble-home of the lower side is formed by an up-turned section of the brass chassis plate. When building the saloon, I dispensed with the innermost of the card layers, but now think this was a mistake, since the thinner side is less rigid and tends to bow slightly, especially around the large saloon window. A nice thing about making the pre-printed sides with the Silhouette cutter is that is very easy to make replacements but, for the moment, I shall live with those I have. There are still loads of details to add - oil lamp tops, foot-boards, buffers, couplings, etc., but I am very pleased with the '19th-century' look of these coaches, with their panelled sides and 'up and down' window line. I fear that the 80:20 rule may apply - the remaining 20% of the work needing 80% of the total effort. Left: U29 tri-composite Right: G13 1st-class saloon I now have all the vehicles needed for Sir John's special train. The components are: 'Sir Alexander' class 2-2-2 locomotive, no.1124, sister to that illustrated at Witney on the webpage http://www.fairfordbranch.co.uk/History.htm Nos. 1124 and 1128 were the last of this class to be scrapped from Oxford shed just before WW1. My model is scratch-built from brass sheet, with a very simple 'rolling' chassis, and is powered by the tender, which has a Hornby 5-pole motor inside a white metal body from Scale Link (see my earlier post at http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/1405/entry-12756-tender-drive-a-convenient-short-cut/ ) V5 Pasenger Brake Van, built using Shirescenes sides on a cut-down Ratio 4-wheel brake third. (described at http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/1405/entry-13204-v5-full-brake/ ) G13 1st class saloon, scratch built on a brass Cleminson chassis, with Silhouette printed card sides and roof as described above. The prototype was apparently one of two, re-built from broad-gauge sleeping cars in 1891. U29 tri-composite built by the same method as the G13 saloon. This vehicle carries the servants and other household staff in Sir John's party. I expect the greatest fun was enjoyed in the 3rd class section, where the young maids would be making their first trip to London. Early (1866) Paddington-built carriage truck carrying the 'Victoria' carriage for use by Lady Wilcote and her daughters, Amy and Blanche. The truck is scratch-built on a wooden frame and the carriage is built from a Scale Link kit. N6 Horse Box to carry the carriage horse, with the groom in his own compartment, built from Wizard Models/51L etched brass kit (described at http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/1405/entry-12276-turning-back-the-clock-2/ ) Although there is still a lot of detailing to complete, the following picture gives an impression of the ensemble, standing in North Leigh station: I know that 'special' trains were a regular feature of 19th-century railway operations but know very little about their actual 'make up'. If any one can provide information on an appropriate configuration for such trains, then I shall be very grateful and will modify my 'consist' accordingly. Mike

whoops! If it's any comfort, it proves you belong to the human race

It was that photo that made me want to build one for myself! Once the line to Witney, through North Leigh, was built there was, of course, no need for the alternative scheme of a cross-country link towards Cirencester, via Witney. From a modellers point of view, this was perhaps unfortunate, as a line through the Southern Cotswolds, taking in attractive villages such as Alvescot, Lechlade, and Fairford, could have offered interesting modelling possibilities

My station is located at North Leigh on the Witney branch, shown in the 1849 map at http://www.fairfordbranch.co.uk/History.htm More information to be provided later. Mike p.s. stable accommodation is currently very limited - I hope to start some 'scenic' development work when the current carriage-building programme is completed.

I'd just added this to your previous post, when you added a new one so, on the grounds that no-one reads posts more than a week old , I've moved it to here. I was looking back through your thread to remind myself of how you wired your control panel with ribbon cable, when I happened to notice your tags! Is this a system only GCHQ can crack? No-one else seems to have commented on the Abingdon show, which I thought was a big improvement on last year. After struggling for so long to hold pieces on 'skyhooks' for soldering, I was very pleased to see how you simply laid parts on a piece of balsa wood. Perhaps everyone else in the world knew this but it was new to me and has helped a lot! Mike

My photo alongside might look similar to the final one in my previous post but is, in fact, the result of a complete re-build, in an attempt to correct at least some of the mistakes I'd made! I'd already found some of the problems in trying to adapt real drawings to an 00 gauge model, in that the wheels fouled the diagonal members of the chassis. Then, when my grease axle boxes arrived from 'MJT' (after 15 days and well within the 21 days maximum), I found that there was insufficient clearance underneath my solebars for the springs to fit. In this context, 0.25mm might as well be the proverbial yard, when something doesn't fit! So, a few lessons learned - 1. don't try to build 00 models without thinking about the compromises needed to accommodate 'narrow gauge (4' 1½")' wheelsets 2. test-fit bought-in parts before final assembly Fortunately, I had stuck the model together with 'UHU' glue, which softens in boiling water, so a short immersion was sufficient to break everything apart. Before I realised that, I noted that everything was, in fact, pretty well stuck together. I then fixed the axle boxes and springs to the W-irons before starting re-assembly of the chassis, without the diagonal support timbers. The stanchions and iron fittings on the solebars had remained in place, since I had used superglue for these, so the next step was to attach the sole bars to the W-irons, ensuring sufficient clearance for the springs. I soon found that my diagonal chassis members were not the only thing fouling the wheels - the 'Mainly Trains' W-irons were designed for scale wheelsets and the cutouts for the wheel flanges did not extend far enough inwards to accommodate 00 wheels! I used a diamond slitting disk on my mini-drill to open out a slot for my wheels. Now I could use 4' diameter Mansell carriage wheels (actually 'MJT' inserts in 'Bachmann' standard wheels). After re-building the chassis, I refitted the deck between the vertical stanchions and got back to where I was at the end of the previous post 🙂 I added some additional details below the solebars, using shaped strips of plastic card, then I painted the solebars in GWR carriage brown and picked out all the ironwork in black. A useful tip, if you use paint in glass jars, such as 'Railmatch' paints, is to wrap some plumbers' PTFE tape around the threads for the cap. This makes it easy to remove the caps again later and solves the problem of broken plastic caps! I sprayed my 'Victoria' carriage, described in an earlier post, in red primer and placed it on the deck for a photo, to show the look of the assembly. The prototype vehicle has two cross-bars, mounted on a pin rail below the main hand-rails, to secure the carriage in position. I decided to fashion two tapered bars, to represent the prototype bars, out of the ends of some cocktail sticks. I expect I shall 'pass' on the iron bindings, though I may try a line of black paint, when I have the bars in position. This will have to wait until I paint the top-coat on the carriage and place it into the correct position. I followed up @buffalo's suggestions for the brake gear and then noticed that a photo of an early horse box (Fig.19 in Russell's GW Coaches, Part 1) showed no brakes but a vacuum through pipe. So, for the time being, I have decided to adopt this style. One of the nice things about scratch building is that you can add as much or as little detail as you like at the outset and then, providing the basic dimensions are correct, can add more details later. In the end, it seems surprising to me that such a 'simple' little vehicle could have caused so much trouble. I suppose that is partly down to my eccentric method of construction but it's all part of the learning curve and I'm getting ever closer to completing my 'Special' train 🙂 Mike

Thank you for the clarification on 'Farthing' - all is clear now. As you have pointed out, my knowledge of history is highly distorted I'm glad I seeded the idea of a canal, though. I'm sure it would make a fascinating addition to the Farthing scene.

well ......... towns tend not to move about much over a 5-year period In the case of Farthing, though, I suspect it must have disappeared down a giant sinkhole during WW1 and the event was 'covered up', to prevent loss of morale

Actually, the location is quite well defined! See the map in http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php/blog/75/entry-265-introduction-how-to-eat-an-elephant/

You could try my trick of using a water-based gold paint, which will wick itself into the edges by capillary action. Any excess is easily wiped off with a cotton bud.

Yet another bite of the elephant! I have ancestors who lived in Devizes, so know a little about the area. The flight of 16 locks on the canal at Caen Hill is a major local feature that was re-opened by the Queen in 1990, after extensive renovation. The locks were lit by gas from1829. The name 'Farthing' is unusual for the area, which lay outside the 'Danelaw'. Perhaps the name implies that it was some distance from the main assembly!