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Focalplane

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  1. Focalplane

    Shipston Gas Works

    By Focalplane,

    Other than one photo on Warwickshirerailways.com, there is very little evidence that Shipston ever had a gas works. But this short movie has come to light with a very blurred view of the plant:
     
    http://www.macearchive.org/Archive/Title/midlands-news-23121963-closing-of-smallest-gas-works/MediaEntry/6692.html
     
    Note the movie says it was the smallest gas works. Whether this was in all the country or just Central England is not clear.
     

     
    I am not sure how this will be incorporated into the layout. It may have to be as a painted back scene, but I also have the idea of making a small bolt on diorama adjacent to the coal siding.
     
    EDIT: A much better quality movie here:
     
    http://www.macearchive.org/Archive/Title/midland-montage-24101963-shipston-on-stour-gas-works/MediaEntry/47026.html
     
    With the old Ordnance Survey map of the station it may be possible to piece together the various buildings and gasometer.
  2. Focalplane
    As some of you may know, Geoff Brewin at Comet Models is recovering from an illness but continues to serve his customers on a more gentle regimen than usual. Having met Geoff at the Leamington Show earlier this year I have found his products and customer service to be right up there at the top. I have several kits waiting to be started on and the latest is the chassis kits for the Hornby Dean Goods 0-6-0:
     

     
    The photo shows the two body shells from the Hornby model - I was able to purchase the early BR version but will paint the body all "dirty engine black" with appropriate brass plates. This will be the maid of all work on the Shipston Branch, so no green livery. That will be reserved for the 14XX and the Dukedog.
     
    The various Comet kits include the loco chassis pack, Romford wheels, axles and crankpins, the Mashima motor and gearbox, and the tender chassis and tender frame kits with wheel set. I also have screw link couplers, so this is a project "ready to go". But when? It should be a relatively easy project so I may move it up the schedule.
     
    Question, should I start a new blog on this project? Or should I add updates to this blog as and when? The latter seems to be a better idea for now.
  3. Focalplane
    Well, this is not the end, but it is certainly the beginning. Using Templot has been interesting, challenging, rewarding and at times frustrating. The latter is due to my being on the steepest part of the learning curve. I have not given up on the double slip, though the current design is actually more prototypical. The problem is, by sticking to OO-SF criteria, I have had to extend the basic area from 9'x2' to 10'x2' whether I use the double slip or not. This is not a space problem dictated by any particular room dimension, but rather one that defeats my hope to have the scenic layout on three 3'x2' boards. Now one of them will be 4'x2'.
     
    I have taken my Templot output and imported it into Illustrator in order to superimpose a rough outline of the various buildings (the actual models are not with me at the moment, in fact they are in France, which is where the layout will be constructed). Here it is:
     

     
    The curved entry is prototypical but greatly exaggerated. This will allow the "fiddle yard" to be connected after an additional scenic corner piece. This will also accommodate the headshunts on the "main" line and the siding. So the complete layout will be L shaped, probably 12'x6'.
     
    The track will most likely be built using Code 83 FB nickel silver rail soldered to copper-clad sleepers. The rails will come from old Shinohara track I bought in the 1980s. Strictly speaking the rails should be BH but here the question is not one of accuracy but expediency.
     
    The next step for this layout will start when I get back to France. The baseboard frames will be assembled, some Sundeala (or its French equivalent) will be applied and the print out of the track plan will be used to set out the sleepers.
     
    Meantime I might have a little side project - a scale plan of Stratford-on-Avon Old Town on Templot - which would keep me very busy!
     
    Edit: delete second attached file in last paragraph.
  4. Focalplane
    Here's an interesting piece of history in South Warwickshire. Who would have thought that two Stroudley A1X Terriers found their way to the region? They were purchased by the Edge Hill Light Railway from the LB&SCR to work on shuttling iron ore to the Stratford and Midland Joint Railway. Ironically the workings were uneconomic and the two tank engines languished until finally being scrapped in 1946.
     
    The tanks could have been perfect for working the theoretical Stratford-Shipston light railway as they had very light axle loading and would have been perfect for the light loads envisaged.
     
    The idea is very tempting!
  5. Focalplane
    Having set the tender aside, and with Bank Holiday rain to prevent any outdoor activity, I started on the loco chassis.
     
    All in all, things have gone well, barring a couple of silly mistakes which were easily rectified. The chassis fits nicely into the Hornby shell with a few minor adjustments with the craft knife. The tiny Mashima motor and gearbox were not too difficult to assemble and the mechanism is ready for testing before being stripped down for painting. The coupling rods and crank pins still need to be fixed, then, when all is ready the brake rods can be fitted. The shoes, by the way, now need some adjusting following the struggle to get the gearbox to fit inside the frame.
     
    Some photos:
     
    Early on, frame soldered up, wheels fitted
     

     
    Current status with motor and gearbox
     

     
    Two side profiles
     

     

  6. Focalplane
    The branch line model is coming together, at least in my mind. As noted yesterday, warwickshirerailways.com is a really valuable resource and well deserving of financial support. While scanning through various photos I was reminded of the long gone branch line from Moreton-in-Marsh to Shipston-on-Stour. The history of this line actually goes back to the Stratford-Shipston horse tramway which still has some evidence of its existence in Stratford on Avon, the footbridge was built for the tramway to take goods from the canal basin to (eventually) Oxford and by the River Thames to London. The entire system never materialized but the horse drawn tramway was completed as far as Moreton-in-Marsh.
     
    Later the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway (known to locals as the Old Worse and Worse) came through Moreton and actually severed the tramway from its terminus. When the GWR took over the OWWR the tramway line to Shipston was upgraded as a steam operated branch line. Unfortunately operations were never economically viable and passenger operations ended after WWI while goods operations lingered on for another 30 years.
     
    Shipston station is no longer there but there are good records available (including a book of the branch line which I have ordered).
     
    The Windows on Warwickshire site includes maps of the area dating back to the GWR days and I have put together a montage of the entire line which I will post later. Meantime, here is the station plan, lifted from an old Ordnance Survey map:
     

     
    Numerous photos are available on the warwickshirerailways.com site.
     
    The only problem I now have is that to be absolutely correct I would have to abandon more modern GWR locomotives (such as the 14XX and 57XX) and go back further in time. I don't want to do this*, so the alternative is to take some poetic license and pretend that the line survived as a passenger and goods branch line up until 1939. This way I can faithfully reproduce a theoretical layout set in 1935.
     
    *Not just because I have the wrong locomotives, but because I feel I can do justice to a later time period that would more closely approximate to the times when I was an avid trainspotter.
  7. Focalplane
    My first ever visit to Peco in Beer, East Devon. Why have I waited so long? Really comprehensive stock (including some non Peco brands and hard to find bits "kept under the counter"). The touchy feely aspect of a large model shop, coupled with helpful staff, makes one realize that the mail order business model does lack a certain "je ne sais quoi".
     
    I now know that Ratio sells some coach kits that will fit right in (4 wheel GWR, Suburban Midland, grounded coach) while it was really useful to see the Wills plasticard sheets up close.
     
    I bought the Wills "Staverton" ground level signal box for the fictitious upgrade of the line from Stratford. Much better than the Skaledale GWR box which is simply too big.
     
    I intend to back there on Friday with a shopping list!
  8. Focalplane
    I do find some things more difficult than others and my patience can run thin at such times. I had been convinced that Slater's plunger pickups are the "way to go" with 0 gauge kits and the logic is certainly compelling. Jim McGeown has his own comments and guidance on the subject which I have followed to a T.
     
    But what I found difficult is adding the wiring to the pickups. I pre-soldered the wires to the tag, no problem, then placed the tag on the screw thread, again not too difficult. But getting the second lock nut on in a confined space took much time, concentration and the occasional blue language! But all six did eventually get placed on and tightened (though I think I should add some CA adhesive as a final warranty of success).
     
    So here are three photos:
     
    The first is the standard view:
     

     
    The next, a view from below:
     

     
    And another view from above:
     

     
    I have colour coded the left and right wires and used shrink wrap to minimize shorting out. The red cabling does not show with the body fitted, which is a relief. The strip of printed circuit board was added so that I can easily wire in the DCC sound chip which has been ordered from Digitrains.
     
    Next I need to fit the coupling rods.
  9. Focalplane

    The Warley Show

    By Focalplane,

    For the first time since being back in modeling I find myself with a ticket for the Warley Show, 10 days from now. I have usually been working in Africa during the past few years but this year I am not, so Birmingham NEC here I come! I have been told that the show is very crowded, but with so many opportunities to meet vendors, see demonstrations and (probably) spend money, the crowds hopefully won't put me off.
     
    So I have been making a list of traders I want to visit and hope that they may have the bits and bobs I am looking for. The list makes for interesting reading. Well, it may or may not be interesting, simply consider it as a typical needs list:
     
    Brassmasters E44
    Fowler tender rails x 4
    Alan Gibson E46
    Sprung plunger pickups - 2 packs of 10
    Coach wheels for GWR long clerestory
    C & L Finescale A35
    Doweling for baseboards x 8
    Flux
    Dart Castings E31
    Coach gangways for clerestory GWR?
    Sylmasta A 49
    Razor saw
    Micromesh?
    Plastic angle for TT bridge, 1.5 x 1.5 mm
    Swann-Morton D 08
    Scalpel blades
    Keen Systems C18
    Close coupling coaches?
    Corridor connectors?
    Mercian Models E35
    Model railway baseboards D11
    Southwest Digital A08
    ESU products
    Sunningwell A24
    TSC decoders
     
    Inevitably there will be items that are not on the list that will suddenly become "most wanted".
  10. Focalplane
    I hope my sneak preview was not too titillating - you may be a little disappointed. The truth is, I am quite vocal about kit building over on Wright writes, but every self-imposed rule is, well, made to be broken, or at least ignored. Particularly if there is a good reason for doing so.
     
    So with no more ado, let me introduce Jubilee Class 45688 Polyphemus.
     

     

     
    My family history during the past 100 years has not been particularly unusual, but when my stepfather died two years ago, his widow was left just about all his estate even though this was arguably a result of my father and mother’s efforts. Estate planners take note! Please understand that I am not at all bitter about this state of affairs, but there were certain artifacts and mementos that I would like to have handed down, at least to give my own children and grandchildren. As it is, such items disappeared a long time ago. Which I find quite sad.
     
    So the small inheritance that did come my way enabled me to pass on a gift to my children, with the recommendation that the funds be used on something that could become a future heirloom. The rest I decided to spend on a similar potential heirloom and the result in Polyphemus.
     
    It is a Lee Marsh 7mm Finescale model of one of the Bushbury Jubilees that hauled the Wolverhampton - Birmingham - London two hour expresses during the mid-1950s. It is a museum grade piece of model engineering but very much a runner as well, with DCC and sound.
     
    Polyphemus was a regular at New Street Station on The Midlander, the top link named train to Euston. The term “two hour express” actually means the journey from Birmingham to London with a stop at Coventry. Some trains had an additional stop at Northampton, meaning a slight deviation from the West Coast Main Line.
     
    The Bushbury Jubilees always looked good - they were the pride of the north Wolverhampton shed at the time and always appeared at New Street looking clean and worthy of their role. The number of coaches varied according to demand and some of the heavier turns (Friday evening out of Euston, for example) were double headed with a Black 5, occasionally a Midland Compound, up front. But there is one timed run from Euston to Coventry behind Polyphemus which has been written into history.
     
    The timed run out of Euston was tabled at 94 minutes for the 94 miles to Coventry. Polyphemus had a load of 293 tons tare behind the tender, typical for the run (double heading was used when additional coaches were added).
     
    The first 5.4 miles up Camden Bank to Willesden was scheduled for 9 minutes from a standing start. This was apparently nigh impossible to achieve, but Polyphemus made the climb in a very respectable 9 minutes 22 seconds. A signal check at Bushey before Watford Junction made the timekeeping look bleak but there was worse as the stop took place just before the water troughs which needed to be crossed at speed. The acceleration was reported to be phenomenal and indeed it was and the tender was filled.
     
    From then on the engine was worked hard to make up time and actually arrived in Coventry in under 85 minutes, nine minutes early. Top speed was around 85 miles per hour.
     
    Another occasion, an up express with 14 on was double headed by 45688 and Black 5 45071 which covered the 94 miles from Coventry to Euston in 86 minutes despite speed restrictions at Rugby and Willesden. Top speed recorded was also 85 mph.
     
    These are representative timings that represent clear runs with only minor signal checks. I have read that at the time the London-Birmingham timings were some of the best and most consistent on British Railways. They were nearly always hauled by Jubilees.
     
    Interesting that an author who worked at Monument Lane has written that Polyphemus was a “poor steamer”. It is well known that there was a great deal of animosity/rivalry between the two sheds, so I take that comment with a pinch of salt. Actions speak louder than words.
     
    So Polyphemus is now the top link representative at Legge Lane. Its name comes from a number of ex-LNWR locos that were given names from Greek mythology "so that young trainspotters could get a supplement to their education". Polyphemus was related to Galatea, one of the four Jubilees to be preserved.
     
    Finally, Philip Hawkins has painted Polyphemus entering New Street Station with a down Midlander at the about the time I used to camp out all day on the eastern end of Platform 7. The print is available here and I have a framed copy over my work bench.
     
    So there you have it!
  11. Focalplane
    With all the parts prepared and the radius arm fixed onto the central axle, I was ready to start pinning the chairs to the well base.
     
    First I used a pencil to draw a circle using the radius arm notch. Then some trigonometry to work out the chair spacing. 80 chairs means an arc of 4.5º which relates to a chord slightly less than 15mm at the 60ft scale radius. But the four chairs at the joins of the two halves of the race rail need to be closer, so a slight adjustment was made to accommodate this. I needed two attempts to get the spacing right, despite all the planning.
     
    I am going to run the turntable with DCC wired with a reversing module, so the race rail will have one polarity, the other feed coming through the central axle But I decided not to use rail joiners; instead I will wire each half, allowing a small gap for expansion during the summer months. The wires will be directly soldered to the bullhead rails. The design can always revert by insulating the gaps, but I doubt if I will ever do this.
     
    The following photos show the progress:
     

     

     
    Half way!
     

     

     
    Completed:
     

     
    This task, including the significant preparation of the nails and chairs, took me quite a few hours, with frequent breaks to rest sore fingers, etc. I am hoping this is the most arduous part of the installation module because I really want to crack on with with the turntable bridge so that track laying can begin.
     
    The next post will be all about attaching the upper board which may involve some trial and error as I am using C&L track whereas the design is for Peco track. Does anyone know if there is a height difference between the two? Also, I may decide to use cork sheeting as a track underlay, and this will also have to be taken into account. It looks like I may have to make a whole lot of packing washers!
  12. Focalplane
    As the end of June approaches I have had some time away from modelling to reflect on progress so far this year. Having just read my end of 2015 entry with plans for 2016, I see I am ahead of my planned schedule for Legge Lane Gauge O.
     
    Essentially, I have one and a half locos done so far, the turntable has been completed and run in, and the track has been laid and wired up. With three locos running, the shed is already getting busy. I have mixed emotions about having a layout with no points, but I have no space for 6ft radius points. I have decided to drop the cassette storage concept and add a quick-fit removable fiddle yard to the left of the shed. This could use the three way C&L point I made this time last year.
     
    A start has been made on the engine shed and I discovered some very nice windows from York Model Making which can be fitted soon. The inspection pits inside the shed have been completed and also the ash pit on the other side of the turntable.
     
    There are two steep inclines on the layout now. The first is the coal ramp into the coal hole below the water tower. The approach road is also inclined so that I can add the fiddle yard without cutting into the decorative frame. This incline is no problem for the locos but I have noticed some slippage with the Jubilee. This is interesting because the sound synchronization is controlled by sensors on the driving axle, so slippage really does result in the correct sound.
     
    Mentioning sound reminds me that the sound project is coming along nicely. The two kit built locos have Digitrains' sound with Zimo 645 decoders. Both the Jinty and the 4F have real recordings added to the chips which is an essential component (if there is a prototype that can be recorded). Sound is catching on in the UK - see Coachmann's thread for his inside-outside Oswestry layout.
     
    The next loco is a David Andrews Compound. The tender is finished, painted and logo-ed, the engine chassis is half built.
     
    I have also been rushed into buying two coach kits and there will soon be three coaches on the go - the built but not painted Kitchen Car and now two Mark 1 coaches from Just Like The Real Thing. I expect to build all three and then batch paint them.
     
    Complete breaks from modelling are probably not a bad thing as I can think about where the project is going and do necessary research. But I am now ready to tackle the ongoing projects in a weeks time. "Focus" was my one word New Year's Resolution and I think I am doing quite well. Planning for the future sees three more locomotive kits in the wings as well as a Lee Marsh Royal Scot, scheduled for late 2017 delivery, which will be the 100th anniversary of my father's involvement in the Great War. The Scot will be named after his regiment - "The Kings Regiment Liverpool".
  13. Focalplane
    I have been discussing my idea with the authorities and they have indicated that an 0 gauge track does not fit in with the Regional Natural Park rules. Not even if I renovate a dilapidated cabin, rebuild stone walls and plant an orchard, all of which would be acceptable.
     
    So it's back to the drawing board.
     
    I suppose this blog is going to be dormant for a while until I can come up with a new plan.
  14. Focalplane

    Jinty in close up

    By Focalplane,

    The previous post didn't do justice to the Jinty, so here is a close up:
     

     
    No coupling rods and a few other details but she's almost complete. The body will be primed as soon as those details are added and then painted in Dirty Black which seems appropriate to a 1950s trainspotter! Looking at Flickr photos of the preserved Jinties is a bit like ordering Japanese food from their menu photographs. It's all a bit too perfect, which is one of the minor gripes I have about the heritage railways (the major gripes are something else, like them being rude to the faithful on gala days, but that's another story).
  15. Focalplane
    Shipston and I are about to part company for about three weeks and I have already promised some photos of the progress so far. But first, the report.
     
    The baseboard modules have gone together well and appear to be stable.
     
    Track building is 90% complete and about 70% laid. About 50% of the track is live. No point motors have been installed, however.
     
    Tests of the module connections appear to be good, see the previous post with video. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/1581/entry-16037-first-loco-test-with-video/
     
    SteveNCB7754's buildings are looking good, particularly those that have been let in to the surface of the modules. Track has been laid in the goods shed. The station and platform will be needing some attention when I return but all the other buildings are ready to install with lighting, etc.
     
    I have done a small test of the ballast mix to be used.
     
    I have started to construct the end loading dock which will need fencing and a five bar gate.
     
    Comparisons with old photos show that I have captured the general spaciousness of the layout though there has been significant foreshortening. Even so, the run round loop is longer than need be. At 9 feet long and 2 feet wide, the scenic section should not give the impression of being squashed in to a restricted space. This has always been my intent.
     
    The liberty I have taken in expanding Shipston's services in the mid-1930s means that it will no longer be a single locomotive line but will be operated by the GWR with visiting rights afforded to the LMS via a fictitious line to Ettington Station on the S&MJR. The junction to Ettington will be just off scene and will be controlled by the station signal box. Yes, there will be a signal box in place of the two original ground frames. Tokens will be required, one for Moreton-in-Marsh, one for Ettington. And, there will be signals!
     
    Operations should be interesting. With no turning facilities the tender engines (Midland 3F, Earl 4-4-0) will run backwards to Ettington. Freight transfer will be important with no through freights (or passenger services) running direct from Ettington to Moreton and vice versa.
     
    The fiddle yard will have only three sidings, using a Peco 75 three way switch, but will have additional space for rolling stock as it is 40cm wide.
     
    Now for the photos:
     
    The first two are street level shots from the SW corner of the yard with the coal siding to the left and the station platform on the right. The test of the ballast mix is at the end of the coal siding:
     

     

     
    The third photo is a general aerial view of the station from the north. As always, the black painted corrugated goods shed dominates the scene. This is a magnificent structure by SteveNCB7754 and has a lot of interior detail including a crane.
     

     
    Another view from the same position but showing the cattle pens.
     

     
    And finally, the third module with incomplete track and the engine shed placed on top of the module.
     

  16. Focalplane
    A couple of shots taken today, just before the Kettering Show. The 4F is waiting on a few brass castings to complete, then the chassis will be painted and the wiring added. The engine and tender bodies can then be primed, but only when the weather warms up and dries out (we had a flurry of snow earlier today).
     
    The engine's chassis is back to front - my mistake - but it does help to show the beginnings of the DCC set up - two simple hard wood strips on which the 8 pin socket will be glued.
     

     

  17. Focalplane
    Cold showery weather - what am I doing in England?! Well, Sunday is a good day to take a loco out of its box and do some detailing and I had forgotten about my Bachmann 75027 in "out of the box" weathered state. It is a very nice looking model and really does justice to the real thing.
     

     
    I am about half way through the list of work on this model and much remains to be done once I take it back to France where I will apply some really heavy weathering, etc.
     
    The most difficult part was fitting scale screw couplings, particularly to the front of the loco as it is solid metal behind the buffer beam. Fortunately my Dremel made the job relatively easy, particularly now that I have a Dremel Work Station. I used a Smiths set of couplers which are not as heavy as the ones made by Romford but do look good. I will eventually remove the Bachmann coupler pocket from the front bogie and then the front end will look as it should look. All the supplied add ons were applied to the front of the loco.
     

     
    Real coal will be added when I get back to France. The coal was collected from a disused open cast mine north of Béziers a couple of years ago. There is nothing that compares to the real thing! The tender will also be close coupled to suit 3 ft radii and a crew added to the cab.
     
    The lamps are from Springside Models and I am not entirely happy with them. The jewels fell out of both front and rear lamps as I was drilling out the base of the lamps. One I found, one is gone for ever.
     

  18. Focalplane
    More research while I am away from home for the week and I have finally identified the best option for a Dukedog that might have served the Stratford-Shipston branch. I had previously decided on 3203 as there is a period photo of this loco at Tyseley on warwickshirerailways.com. But more Internet research using the GWR.org.uk site has done better. 3207 was first allocated to Tyseley's sub-shed Stratford upon Avon. Perfect.
     
    The next batch of Bachmann Dukedogs is due next year and I have pre-ordered one in GWR shirt button livery.
     
    I have also given some thought to how the GWR would have overcome the problem of running steam locos alongside the main road south of Stratford. It would have made sense to create a junction at Ettington station with the line then following the Fosse Way south towards Ilmington. A typical winding, follow the contours, branch line. None of this will be modeled but it is important to know that the would be's make some sense.
  19. Focalplane
    I finally got hold of the definitive book "Shipston-on-Stour Branch" by S C Jenkins and R S Carpenter. It is a well written history of both the original Tramway and the light railway which is the focus of this blog. Many of the photos are already published on the internet but in some cases the quality is better and the descriptions perhaps more accurate.
     
    The politics of branch lines keeps cropping up throughout the history and it does seem quite practical to make a "what if" assumption about the GWR re-laying the Shipston-Stratford Tramway as a way to prevent competitors building additional lines across South Warwickshire. Ironically, the original decision to serve Shipston from Moreton was never going to be practical as most people in the area have always gravitated to Stratford for their needs. Even today the local bus service is Warwickshire managed, the buses running from Stratford to Moreton via Chipping Campden and/or Broadway. Shipston is also well served by Stratford buses as well as the express bus service between Oxford and Stratford.
     
    So I think a little history bending is in order. The following would be the basis for a revision of history:
     
    1. The original GWR light railway modification would be extended north to Stratford, with additional land being bought along the roadways south of Stratford. The original Tramway terminus in Stratford would have been scrapped and the line brought into the then existing East & West Junction Railway at Clifford Sidings, with running allowed to the GWR main line (Birmingham-Cheltenham).
     
    2. After a political fight, the E&WJR gained running rights to Moreton in exchange for running rights afforded to the GWR. This meant that LMS locos could be expected to venture south of Stratford.
     
    3. Now that the line gained through status, signaling would become necessary with multiple token running. The ground frames at Shipston might have sufficed but a small cabin would seem appropriate!
     
    4. The loco roster might be expanded due to improved permanent way designs, so a wider range of tank and tender engines could be expected, including Dean Goods 0-6-0s, small panniers, Dobbins (Jinties to most people), 2-4-0s from the E&WJR and the 14XX that started off this romantic episode in my life! The Shipston Engine Shed would have been re-opened with a small coaling stage, ash pit, etc.
     
    This pre-Beeching expansion would have allowed 'direct' train travel from Shipston to Birmingham Moor Street via Stratford as well as connections to beyond Moreton. Busy days are ahead!
  20. Focalplane

    Templot on the Mac

    By Focalplane,

    Although I already have Peco track for Shipston, I am slowly but surely moving toward a better looking OO-SF look and design. Several years ago I used Templot for a while, working under a PC emulator on my Mac (I have been a Mac user since 1992), but the emulator was expensive to upgrade and really didn't seem to be that reliable. Templot fascinated me in that it appears to have a steep learning curve for those of us who have done a lot of CAD and vector based drawing on computers. This is because it has what could be called artificial intelligence based on the inherent design of points and switches. It controls the mouse rather than the other way round, might be one explanation for what it does. The ability to plot out accurate templates for building custom track is the end product.
     
    Which means that Templot and self made track would be a very good option for Shipston. Back in the 1970s I made quite a lot of track using bullhead rail and PCB sleepers. So I asked a few questions on the track laying forum and got some strange answers. The reason for this was that I had asked the question of where I could source "PCB sleepers". The answer was that they are not called that, they are "copper clad sleepers". Well, so they may be today, but all those years ago they were made of printed circuit board, which, of course, happens to be copper clad fiberglass. The PCB term continues to be used in North America to this day.
     
    So, where do we go from here, you might ask? I have a Mac, so how can I use Templot? Happily Martin Wynne came up with a solution which did not involve either me buying a Windows machine or him porting Templot over to OSX! I had never heard of WINE, WINEBOTTLER or CrossOver, but these are the inexpensive solutions for running some (not all) Windows software on a UNIX based operating system (Linux or OSX). I have downloaded a 14 day free trial from CrossOver and also have the updated Templot2. So far, so good, Templot runs very nicely under WINE. All I have to do now is climb the relatively steep learning curve and design the track layout in Templot. Retirement is proving to be a very busy time!
  21. Focalplane
    Without intending to do so, my research into how the GWR might have made an agreement with the LMS to connect Shipston to the Stratford and Midland Joint Railway cross country line has raised some interesting issues.
     
    These don't relate to the Shipston Branch as such, but do have some bearing on my fictitious parallel project, the Legge Lane MPD. This is based on a small MPD "somewhere in the Midlands" with a strong LMS flavor but set in the BR era. Many of the locos I have purchased or will purchase for the Legge Lane project would have visited the SMJR, even if only occasionally. This is because, as the "Shakespeare Route" there would have been excursions as well as a freight service that employed many of my RTR locos. I have slowly accumulated photographic evidence that the following BR(M) classes were employed on freight trains during the BR era:
     
    Midland 3F, Midland 4F, WD 2-8-0, LMS 8F, LMS 4MT (43xxx), LNWR G2A, Standard 9F, Standard 4MT, LMS Black 5
     
    In addition, Western locos were also employed, including Halls, 43XX, 2251, etc., even a Dukedog on SLS specials.
     
    And it might not be a stretch to allow visitors of much greater renown, for example a Jubilee or a Patriot, on a Shakespeare Birthday special.
     
    To a large degree, this is the joy of designing a layout around an anachronism which joined lines operated by different companies (or regions under BR). Almost anything could have happened, and probably did.
     
    To offer evidence for this, the turntable at Stratford was replaced with a larger one in order to accommodate Great Central Atlantics in the days when Edwardians liked to visit Stratford.
     
    Perhaps Legge Lane could be transformed into Stratford upon Avon 21D at some time in the future?
     
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/1565-the-legge-lane-mpd-blog/
  22. Focalplane
    As noted in my previous post the fret of lamp brackets is truly beyond my capabilities. A decent desk light from Maplins helped to prove this as I could actually see that it wasn't going to work out to my satisfaction. The lamp brackets on the Dean Goods require an L shaped piece of brass which is then bent twice, one on each limb, to create the required shape. The fitting is then glued with CA to the front of the buffer beam. Well, this is the theory. In practice I simply could not get it to work. So, sadly, I have given up. Lamp brackets are important add ons, though, so something will have to be done. Maybe, as noted in the last post, I can simply use some 0.7 or 0.5 mm wire. This will require drilling a hole for each bracket into the front of the buffer beam, then adding a simple 90º bent piece of wire. One bend instead of three should be simpler! And the one hole can always be filled in if it doesn't work. Enough for this evening, try again tomorrow!
  23. Focalplane
    The engine shed has been my main project for a couple of weeks while I am away from the LMR project and is one of the reasons behind this new project, based in England. The other is the Airfix 14XX restoration.
     
    The shed is a standard build of Scalescene's small engine shed with water tank over the front doors. I have done no weathering to it as yet:
     

     
    The interior is up to the usual scalescene's standard and again, no weathering has been applied:
     

     
    The next card project will be the small station building and shelter; meantime it's full steam ahead on the 14XX project, with an order placed for the Comet chassis, wheels, motor and gearbox.
  24. Focalplane
    Went to Toddington, headquarters of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway and persuaded myself to buy a second Airfix 14XX tank engine. The first suffered major damage years ago when knocked off a window ledge in Houston. This one shakes as it runs down the test track, but between the two of them and possibly a Comet chassis I may get a reasonable facsimile of the Gobowen Rattler (the shuttle service between Oswestry and Gobowen I rode many times from 1955 to 1964).
     
    Here are two photos of the new acquisition. I already have an autocoach to match.


    I think this is called "retail therapy".
  25. Focalplane
    Earlier photos show a carefully constructed Ratio coal stage placed where coaling will be done (eventually). The prototype for this is, apparently, in Scotland, a long way from the English Midlands, so it really will look out of place. Volumes I and II of LMS Sheds have plenty of illustrations of LNWR style coal holes, basically consisting of two roads under a water tank, one road slightly elevated. The example at Birmingham Monument Lane was one such design but in fact there were quite a few variations.
     
    Today I downloaded the scalescenes.com print-your-own card kit. I did this more to get ideas rather than build the kit "as is" as it appears to closely follow the GWR design as at Didcot.
     
    The basic LMS coal holes include:
     
    1. Two roads under the tank, coal shoveled or thrown from slightly elevated wagon into tender or bunker, the tank providing some shelter during inclement weather.
     
    2. One road under the tank, possibly elevated, with coal transferred to 10 cwt tubs, elevated and tipped in tenders and bunkers in a track next to the structure through a chute. The tubs were elevated hydraulically in some sheds (including Crewe at one time). This design could be easily modeled within the existing layout. Parts of the scalescenes.com kit could be used for both tank and chute. The hydraulic lift could be scratch built into the design.
     
    3. Larger systems included two roads under the tank and one road each side of the tank structure. I don't have room for this.
     
    4. Water supply from the tank was, in some cases delivered to the tender while coaling. This particularly applied to the original LNWR 'standard' design.
     
    There is a relationship between size of coaling plant and the number of shed roads. Typical 4 road sheds (as in Legge Lane) had a coal hole and any upgrading would probably only include a powered conveyor belt. The big concrete coaling stages were reserved for sheds with at least 6 roads, usually 8 or more.
     
    Information sources other than the Wild Swan Publications also include warwickshirerailways.com, an excellent site with plenty of photos and descriptions through time. Even if you are not interested in Warwickshire, there is plenty to look at on this site.
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