MikeOxon

19 hours ago, drduncan said:

There was a discussion involving @MikeOxon a few years ago about narrow gauge tilts including a photo of possible SG/narrowed tilt, but the great server meltdown probably did it in. However Mike might still have the photo somewhere.

I've restored the images - see my NG Tilt Wagon, followed by 'A Hat Box for Blanche'

Mike

19 hours ago, drduncan said:

The big question now is how red to make the red livery and is BG red different from GWR narrow gauge red?

I described my version of GWR red - described as a bright light red - in my post 'Trial of the Reds'

Mike

8 hours ago, Annie said:

Various test snaps taken along the Potteries Loop Line route in TRS22. 

Wonderful misty scenes - very 'atmospheric'

I thought this looked your sort of computer, Annie 🙂

According to 'New Scientist': "The machine, known as DeepSouth, is being built by the International Centre for Neuromorphic Systems (ICNS) in Sydney, Australia, in partnership with two of the world’s biggest computer technology manufacturers, Intel and Dell. Unlike an ordinary computer, its hardware chips are designed to implement spiking neural networks, which model the way synapses process information in the brain."

Mike

1 hour ago, Annie said:

I think I have found a suitable source for a hat box

The one Sir John ascribed to Blanche might be too big for your purpose: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/blogs/entry/14670-a-hat-box-for-blanche/

Mike

2 hours ago, moore43grm said:

 

 Look up "Yorkshire Waterways Heritage Society" they have numerous interesting photos under their "Tom Pudding" entry.

A wonderful collection and difficult to believe that the most recent photos are from the 1980s

Glad to know you've got everything working in Linux.  When I tried several years ago, I found Linux worked very well until it didn't, and then it was a nightmare to sort out.  It's probably improved since then.

I've never worried about Windows versions running out of support, although some software does want to see the latest version - often it's just the installer that objects and I have successfully transferred software that wouldn't load into Win10 from a Win7 machine.  I even still use WinXP (under Win7) for some peripherals that won't talk to later versions.

5 hours ago, Mikkel said:

I love this hobby.

I recall several previous discussions about how many different subjects one can learn about through railway modelling - the list seems endless: perspective, lubricants, colour specifications, breeds of cattle, arcane subjects like Cotswold roof tiling or timber frame roof construction - and on and on.

Now we have typography - for anyone interested in some of the details, there is a good article at https://99designs.com/blog/tips/typography-design/

8 minutes ago, billbedford said:

 

What makes you think that? No RTR wagons have metal running gear. 

I was just thinking of metal pin-point axles and bearings. I admit to being unfamiliar with current RTR wagon models.

21 minutes ago, jwealleans said:

Fairly sure I've read that it was 7 years under the LNER, so I think reasonable to assume that earlier practice was similar.

This comment and other items in this thread made me think about how short the 'grouping' period was within the overall time-frame of locomotive railways.

1923 - 1948; just 25 years, with a large chunk of these disrupted by war time and its aftermath!  Go back a century from there and it took longer than that for railways to 'find their feet', while companies such as the Midland were around for almost 80 years. 

Looked at like that, the 'popular' modelling scene has been dominated by a very small segment of the overall picture.

6 hours ago, Mikkel said:

I can imagine it must be tempting to just go on printing new stuff rather than completing them.

That really struck a chord with me, Mikkel. 🙂

I think it is very enterprising of Duncan to take his designs through to completion.  I'd be interested to read about how he decides to draw the line between 3D-printed parts and what he buys in.  I suppose part of it is knowing what is available from the trade but there may be other factors as well.  I can see that running gear needs metal parts for reliability and there's the issue of weight too.

The finish on that iron coal wagon looks excellent and fully up to commercial standards.  I hope they sell well.

21 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

I did, though, wonder if it might be the Directors' Saloon No. 249 of 1894, but that is also a 56 ft vehicle and this looks shorter.

I tried using the perspective adjustment in 'Photoshop' to show the relative lengths of the carriages in the Goring train. 

It was an extreme adjustment but the indication is that the end coach was no shorter and possibly longer than the others.  Perhaps my distorted view may help someone with more expert knowledge to make a guess at the type?

2 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

I did, though, wonder if it might be the Directors' Saloon No. 249 of 1894, but that is also a 56 ft vehicle and this looks shorter.

If this was a test train for newly laid water troughs then a Directors' saloon does seem quite likely.

On 07/11/2023 at 11:25, Compound2632 said:

What an interesting train - a pair of E41 56 ft lavatory tricomposite brakes, I believe, coupled brake end to brake end so that the passengers in the two end first class compartments aren't ogling each other through the end widows, and a non-Great Western bogie clerestory vehicle. Great Central? Did the Cambrian have any bogie clerestory carriages? Not, I think, a LNWR 45 ft family saloon (D63, also WCJS D13) - too many doors and windows.

On looking again at the Youtube video of Adelina Patti's train at Maidenhead, I noticed a carriage with a cream waistband that appears to be marked as 'Dining Car'.  I'm not sure why the carriage at Goring troughs is said not to be GWR but could it have been a special purpose vehicle such as this one?  Perhaps another private train.

In addition to Armstrong's 'Sir Daniels' and 'Queens', we should remember that Dean added the 'Cobhams', which did similar duties to the 'Queens'.  Interestingly, Dean reverted to the use of sandwich frames for the 'Cobhams', which were noted for better riding on the baulks of Brunel's type of track.  The accident report on the Shipton on Stour accident refers to baulks and transoms, indicating that the track was of this type, despite being 'narrow' or standard gauge.

The RCTS Part 4 notes (page D17) that the Cobhams "performed the same duties as the "Queens" and a particularly creditable performance is recorded of No. 162, Cobham, which covered the 1291 miles between Paddington and Birmingham via Oxford with a load of 160 tons in 2 hours 12 mins. 8 sec.  The average speed was 58.7 mph., including two service slacks.  During the nineteenth century Nos. 157, 160/1/4 were stationed at Wolverhampton and No. 165 ended its days at Oxford"

Dean also introduced his new four-coach corridor set for the Paddington-Birkenhead service on 7th March 1892, working up from Birkenhead in the morning and returning on the 1:30pm from Paddington.  The official photo shows 2-2-2 'Avalanch' in charge:

Note the baulk track.

2 hours ago, ChrisN said:

I said on @MikeOxon's Pre-Grouping Blog I stated that the 10:02 to Birkenhead from Paddington was pulled by an Achilles Class loco.  Thinking about this, there were only 30 of these locos, so one may have pulled the 9:50 express, and one the afternoon train that had corridor coaches, although none were on the list for winter 1894/95, but probably not the 10:02 which was not really an express, but better than a semi-fast.

It's a bit earlier but one of the worst railway accidents on the GWR happened to the 10 am Paddington to Birkenhead train on 24th December 1874.  The Accident Report provides full details of the train involved as follows:

The 10 am express narrow [i.e. 'standard'] gauge passenger train from London to Birkenhead left Paddington station two or three minutes late, and it then consisted of an engine and tender, two guards' break-vans and ten carriages ... a luggage van and a carriage were added at the tail of the train at reading.  It reached Oxford 30 minutes late, according to the head guard, J.Price [any relation to your station master?] 

At Oxford, a 3rd class carriage was added at the head of the train and a pilot engine No.386 of the same type [Sir Daniel class] was added to the train engine No.478, by order of the station master because it was a bad morning with heavy rain and extra carriages may have been added at Leamington, where no extra engine would have been available.

The train leaving Oxford was made up as follows:

Pilot engine with tender No.386

Train engine with tender, No. 478.
1. 3rd class carriage on 4 wheels, No. 845.(Taken on at Oxford.)
2. Guard's break-van on 4 wheels, No. 351. (Under-guard Hill rode in this van.) .
3. Tri-composite carriage on 6 wheels, No. 446.
4. 3rd class do.,No 634.
5. 3rd class do  No,555.

6. Composite do No.188

7. 1st class do No 497.
8. 2nd class do No.326.
9. Guard's break-van on 4 wheels, No. 174.(Head guard Price rode in this van.)
10. 1st; class Carriage on 6 wheels, No. 618
11. 2nd class do No.363.
12. 3rd class .. . 4 wheels, No.949
13. 3rd class ,, ,, 6 wheels,No. 637.
14. Guard's break van on 4 wheels. No. 352. (Taken on at Reading for luggage:)
15. 3rd class carriage on 6 wheels, No. 689.

The accident occurred at Shipton on Cherwell, due to failure of a wheel under the leading 3rd class carriage.  34 passenger died and about 65 passengers and 4 servants of the Company were injured, some seriously.

Mike

58 minutes ago, ChrisN said:

There are few things that I do that I am really satisfied with, and this is one of them.  Also, it is nearly finished, which may be a first

Congratulations.  That is a blissful state which I have still to achieve 🙃

Go back to early broad gauge wagons (or some prefer 'waggons') and there are all sorts of terms, such as 'strouters' for side supports, cleading (cladding), tilts (canvas covers), and flanches (flanges).  Road wagons and carriages had their own terminology, including 'splinter bars', 'close futchells', 'outer futchells', and 'nunters'.  I found out about some of these when I modelled Brunel's 'Britzka'

5 hours ago, Annie said:

Yet again another leftover tropical cyclone approaches the North Island of NZ from the East.  I've lost count how many we've had since january of this year.

Turmoil everywhere and not only the weather - elections, wars, you name it .... Nice to have a 'cheer up' photo 🙂

At first glance, the shed on the left of the photo looked as though it had some 21st century-style graffiti on the wall - an illusion on what appears to be brickwork.

12 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

When and where was continuous drawgear first used for wagons? Was the Midland's use in 1882 particularly early or not?

In Whishaw's 'The Railways of Great Britain and Ireland' published in 1842, Plate XI shows the undergear of various GWR (broad gauge) vehicles, including the 'traction apparatus':

If anyone can shed light on the circular structures within the 'traction apparatus' under the 1st Class, the Posting Carriage, and the Carriage Truck, I shall be interested - some early form of shock absorber?

Mike

56 minutes ago, Annie said:

Once I get the rest of the invisible track laid in place I'll give it a go.  No doubt managing to completely embarrass myself in the process.

I hope there's a sound file too 🙂

18 minutes ago, Annie said:

Yes Hector walks in the four foot between the rails.  The horse is fully animated and was created by a very clever chap who unfortunately is no longer with us now. 

I hope we'll see video of Hector in action, soon.

I suppose the modern equivalents are MOT centres and the rather small sheds that local garages use

While browsing through old copies of 'The Locomotive Magazine', I came across the following description of a GER Restaurant carriage. 

In case it's not already well-known, I quote from The Locomotive Magazine Vol. IV June 1899:

"SINCE May 1st the G.E R.Co. have been running on some of their fast seaside expresses vestibuled restaurant cars of new and improved construction built at Stratford works from the designs of Mr. Jas. Holden, the Locomotive Carriage and Wagon Supt. Several of these cars are shown above. The first class cars are connected to one end of the restaurant cars by covered vestibules. whilst the third class are similarly joined at the opposite end. The under-frames are built up of steel channels. and each car runs on two steel framed 4-wheeled bogies of such a design that oscillation has been reduced to a minimum. The bodies of the first class cars are 48-ft. 3-in. long, and have accommodation for 20 passengers, the.restaurants are 55-ft. long with seating for 32, and the third class are 55-ft. long with carrying capacity for 52. The cars are all 8-ft. 6-in. wide, and have clerestory roofs rising to 8-ft. 7-in. from the floor.

The internal sides of the first class compartments are finished with satinwood panels and bevelled edged mirrors in walnut frames and mouldings, whilst the ceilings are lined with a neat pattern of “Endeca” decoration. The upholstering is in dark blue cloth, except in the smoking-rooms, where leather is employed.

The third class compartments are decorated with light oak framing, panels and mouldings, and the seats are finished in “terry " velvet. Lavatories are provided of latest design. The kitchen at the centre of the restaurant cars is of ample size, and carries all the necessary appliances for cooking on a large scale, and in the first class style the G.E.R. refreshment department is noted for.

The warming is provided for by hot water pipes carried round all the cars and concealed in a brass network. Compressed oil gas supplies the lighting, and electric communications are provided throughout the cars.

On the trains to which cars of this description are attached, breakfasts are served on the morning run to town, and dinners on the return in the evening—an excellent arrangement, which should be greatly appreciated by City men spending their leisure at the east coast resorts.

The choice of the title “restaurant car” augurs well for the success of these G.E.R. novelties and means business. Half the would-be customers on other lines are “warned off" by the exclusive look of the words “Dining saloon” painted in large letters on palatial looking cars, which carry first class prices, &c., in their appearance. Our idea of a restaurant car is one in which either class of passengers are welcome, and where they can procure a cup of coffee, a 1/6 lunch, or a 3/6 dinner, provided they are willing to pay for it, just the same as at the refreshment rooms or any ordinary restaurant."

Plenty of good modelling info 🙂

Mike

5 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

My question is: what distinguishing features between Swindon and Wolverhampton livery are there that could enable one to identify Wolverhampton livery in a monochrome photo?

The outer edge of the lining appears very bright in the Snow Hill photograph, which suggests it was white, as in Wolverhampton livery. The orange hue of Swindon lining does not render well in photographs taken with the emulsions of the time, which were insensitive towards the red end of the spectrum.

Mike