steves17

Does anyone know where I might attain a drawing of the 657 class? Designated '28 Class' later on they were the Belpaire firebox batch built in 1912 with the deep cabs complete with grab bars. I'm aware there is a line drawing in Barry Lane's 'Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Locomotives' book but i'm after an alternative to argument it and the HMRS doesn't have one in their listings. Regards Steve

I've looked into the 812's & 652's a fair amount and while for a time 57625 sported a few special embellishments none carried the additional passenger lining John T Kenny gave them I'm afraid (aware of this truth or not may haps when bashing his Donald model Awdry was the one who actually created the livery, don't think any photos of it were taken before he repainted it NWR blue). Given that they filled in on passenger services quite often it's a shame really but if wanting to smarten them up like their crews may of done perhaps you could add lining transfers to one of the BR livery offerings

That'll be neat to behold, might be worth seeing if Gavin would be willing to make an in-between size of his design if you're not looking to go full scratch. https://www.shapeways.com/shops/sparkshotcustomcreationsscc?section=Furness+%26+Cambrian+Loco%27+Bodies&s=0 Yeah i'll probably add something passing for the cylinders on the chassis unit, still working some of the detailing out between other projects on the go. Regarding the drawing I don't think i've ever seen a reverse side pic of a loco's bufferbeam but you're effectively describing a stubby wagon arrangement I trust? Anywho I get the gist so will see about emulating a certain wagon kit of mine once I source a spare set of hooks but I can still spring the out of sight bunker end which will be taking most of the strain anyway. May I ask where you got the drawing from, the HMRS website? Still waiting for my membership to go though in order to take advantage of the archive discount but it would be useful to own a copy.

Thanks for the feedback Nigel. The gap area is something myself and Gavin initially missed when looking into the 'off the peg' design due to all the photos we've seen being close to ground level, though I note engines Lady Elizabeth, the Swindon Os and possibly even some of the Albion Class gained covers at some point while the Manchester & Milford Railway's 2-4-2T replacement, Plynlimmon seems to have been built with a nice sloping one. Anyway long story short i've cut away a rectangle into the shell for proper Furness accuracy. Just need to worry about scratching cylinders below and what to do about the exposed rear of the drawgear now, a split pin and spring would look a bit crap

Ah I've already gone through them and the dubious GWR drawing in 'A pictorial record of Great Western Absorbed Engines' but it doesn't reveal a lot. I think the 'Swindon O' tank rebuilds of the Albion/Small Passenger Class had some kind of lid added but as built the Sharp Stewart 2-4-0s had an exposed gap, for access to the inside cylinders i'm guessing. Basically i've got a Furness model with a solid running running plate and am pondering what to do modification wise. I assume bar the cylinders sticking out slightly said gap is basically a clean rectangular cut out that a careless crew man could drop a foot through but I have no reference to work off and don't want to make a pigs ear of it. Also where would the added vacuum pipe be likely to go? Should I just pretend it continues to sink down and then run along between the frames? Sorry to sound like a noob but my technical knowledge is quite patchy in places.

Has there been any progress on this or Camkits one? Basically i'm trying to workout the gap space between the smokebox saddle and the bufferbeam on the the CR's Albion/FR's E1 Classes but know of no high up photos or birds eye drawings showing it. Does anyone know of similar examples by Sharp, Stewart & Co (or any manufacturer really) where this featured? Regards Steve

I've just brought some IP Engineering open and semi-open coaches for a planned garden layout and I'm wondering what is best to paint them in. By that I mean should I use a suitably thinned oil based DIY wood primer for a base such as Leyland or something else entirely? http://www.ipengineering.co.uk/page134.html http://www.ip-engineering.co.uk/acatalog/Penrhyn_Coach_Range.html

Ah sorry about the mix up there, found the bit on the one off rebuild in Vol 1 of 'An illustrated History of L.M.S. Locomotives'. The 4F pictorial supplement has proved most enlightening in general so thanks for the recommendation Bruce One thing i'm wondering about the St Rollox's scoopless builds though is why they were built with the breathers? Surely they would of been redundant without them so the only reason I can think of why they were included was out of force of habit/for possible conversion convenience down the road. I've been trying to brush up on the Fowlers in general so i'm wondering if anyone in the know might be able to confirm or correct the following. 4F No.4027, which entered service on the 30th of November 1924 was the first engine to have a Standard Fowler. 4F No.4410, which entered service in December 1925 was the first LMSR engine built with coal doors over a solid bulkhead. 7F No.9660, which entered service on the 22nd of April 1932 was the first engine to be built with snap head rivets and this also coincided with the introduction of the coal grill. Also not strictly a Fowler tender but does anyone know of any plans/dimensions/kits for the three 4000 gallon Stanier prototypes? Regards Steve

Good choice, something different from the norm and plenty of room for DCCsound and any other paraphernalia As the 10 strong series were otherwise still basically just standard Fowlers you might be able to use the beading as a cutting away point and then, using the inside tank area you could glue/solder a backing board onto it for securing on a high rise section. Said strengthening joint could be hidden away under a coal load.

Thanks Bruce. I don't own that particular Vol of the excellent series but good to know and i'll see about seeking out a copy, cheers. You're referring to the high sided series I trust? Those all had the standard water scoop and dome set up as far as I know.

Does anyone know if any Fowler tenders were built without the standard water scoop aspect to them?

A most interesting thread you've got going on here Sorry to be a bother but would it be possible to see a photo of the underside of your Elsie? I bought the Ragstone Luggage Van kit recently and thought it would be a good project to try braking into both O gauge and whitemetal soldering. Basic assembly has gone fine so far but not being an experienced modeller i'm not quite sure on the precise placements of all the bits around the wheels and don't want to make a dog's dinner of it. Also did you find it necessary to compensate the wheels or does yours run just fine without? Much obliged Sleeper Agent

Sorry should of been more specific. The bag doesn't say but they're these ones. http://www.roxeymouldings.co.uk/product/618/7w003p-3ft-7in-mansell-coach-wheels-two-axle-pack/ I drilled quite far into the whitemetal axle boxes, was a little worried I'de poke through in the end but going steady I can get the 'top hat' bearings all the way in now. To be honest I was just taken by surprise how far the axle sticks out past the chassis fret as it seems overkill to me and brings things to the point where removing the wheels out at a later point would be unnecessarily difficult. Reading some model books up further I think i'll be alright if I set the wheels, brakes etc now to get the remaining soldering out of the way and just cover up and hand brush the underside when I come to do that point. Ta

This isn't a wagon project but I didn't feel it was worth starting a new thread for a similar sort of problem I'm having. In a nut shell this is the first thing i've built in O gauge and i'm not quite sure how to proceed. I'm used to crude 'drop in' 00 wheels that can by taken out and put back in on a whim, not these massively long bearings. Would I be best to secure them, the white metal axel boxes and W irons and complete the brake rigging before final cleaning and painting painting or after? The Roxey Mouldings kit I assumed came with compensation units, as that is what is supplied in the 4mm equivalents but then I found that the instructions mention that they are available separately (though I can not see them on the website). Do I actually need them for an O gauge kit with a 15ft wheelbase or are they mostly superfluous? This is actually the first kit that i've ever built up to this stage as due to accumulative beginners problems I gave up on the 4mm equivalents but up to now I thought I was going to make this new attempt without stumbling on a hurdle. I basically know very little about the world of O gauge so advice would be appreciated. Regards Steve

Deleted those two pics above as they were of the later part welded type. I did look into the Black 5s a while back but it's such a mine field and I'de forgotten x amount of what I had read. Anyway thanks for the link, time to start brushing up once more.

Without going to the ins and outs of the high sided and other exceptional tenders like the rebuilt Staniers given to Nos. 5073/4 can someone tell me if the Black 5s and Jubilees actually shared the same 4000gal tender design? Out of personal period interest and to keep things simple I'm just talking about the Mk1 riveted type. As far as I can tell both share the same wheelbase (4' 1"+7' 6"+7' 6"+5' 53/4") and the curvature to the tank looks the same to me so, ignoring livery and wiring etc if I were able to acquire an early period Bachmann Jubilee tender and plum it behind a Hornby Black Stanier would that be more or less it? Black 5 example. [/url

Very excited by this as I don't even really model in 0 but have just put down an order for two A3s. This is probably too early days to answer but out of curiosity Dave (or anyone from Hatton's) might a GNR loading gauge A1 be on the cards down the road? If not I might see about substituting the cab and some of the other features but obviously I wouldn't be keen to do that if there were plans to expand this range.

I decided to give the product a try as with re-planning in my head I believe I will be needing an incline to access a fiddle yard below the main layout after it is built. The DDCconcepts package just arrived this morning and I can see that the base plates are not magnetic, they're just present below the track to attract the small but powerful magnets fitted to the loco. It will be a few weeks before I get the first bit of the layout fitted and wired up but as far as I can tell the product should not affect coupling systems like Dingham and Kadee, especially if the loco magnets are fitted away from the bufferbeam but the small magnets are quite powerful so it's tricky to say with smaller engines but at least rolling stock won't be affected and you don't really to add magnets on your little shunter locomotives.

(I did use the search facility but what I had typed brought me here rather than the more direct threads on the subject and for all the talk about radius curves and Peco track I couldn't see an answer. Might it be possible for an Admin to merge a few of these similar threads?) Thanks guys, just wanted to be doubly sure as i'm about to lay track. Regarding the narrowing at platforms though this is relevant to my layout as my main line station is on a strait so thanks for the attachments David, will do some additional checking before finalising my track centre. Ta

So just a quick fire answer for 1in76 scale strait track representing a main line section, would 4.5cm between the track centres be correct or is this a shade under par? I'm pretty sure I recall that Norman Solomon mentions that on the Right Track DVD but putting it against a diagram I have it seems a shade narrow (whether it's correct or not I suspect the 4mm scale LMS diagram I have is wider than the general standard). Also in cm/mm what would be a typical (non ex-broad gauge legacy) minimum distance between a main line track and a siding? Thanks Steve

Thanks jwealleans, I know 5&9 Models do do coaches as I brought some accessories and a few trucks a while back but they are LB&SC related, though I can see some resemblance with their 1866 third class coach. Sales are only partially open due to to difficulties but I found Chris quite helpful upon my inquiries at the time. I've tried looking up the others but didn't get very far I'm afraid, will keep an eye open. Cheers Edwardian. I was waiting till a book called 'Historic Carriage Drawings Vol1' arrived in the post but it contained less GER material than I was hoping for. I had thought about asking a company like Mousa Models or Worsley Works to perhaps make some side profiles and possibly more but other than them being 27ft long I've failed to find much information on the four-wheeled Stratford built GER carriages in general, so would not be able to provide any useful dimensions or even any decent photos. I know it's from p1 of this thread but could you tell me where that full diagram can be found please, was it the mentioned 'Practical Model Railways, March 1988' and does it contain one for a four wheeler as well? Oh and sorry, yes the photo is indeed of a GER coach. I can't seem to find the wiki type page I found it on originally but this site has the same Norfolk photo and it mentions it was built in 1892. http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1541778 It's not in my neck of woods unfortunately so it's a bit far for me to come down with a measuring tape and likewise I'm not in the local preservation movement loop but I've just found these site pages if it's of interest. https://www.flickr.com/photos/stuart166axe/10665779805 http://p.earm.co.uk/15/bungay-coach

Interesting thread, I've been toying with the idea of using Ratio kits for a planned project as they are vaguely similar to what I want but before I go and buy anything is anyone aware of any kits/brass side profiles for the 4 wheeled coaches from around the 1880s? Regards Steve

I'm sure there is a thread on this but I can't seem to find it so here goes. Can anyone tell me about the original livery that the TR engines are believed to have carried? http://www.rail.co.uk/rail-news/2015/talyllyn-surprise-for-tr150/ I am aware that the Indian red type livery that they were recently painted in was based on Fletcher & Jennings standard ex-works and that the order for Talyllyn erroneously dropped an 'L' but is there any actual evidence the two locos were painted that colour upon delivery? I do not believe documentation has ever been found and given the extensive rebuilds they have had over the years would be surprised if an 'original' layer had been found underneath the previous coats. Is the anniversary livery just a tribute to Lowca or is there actual evidence to state that the older green livery they carried was indeed a later decision. Bit of a long shot this I know but I'm wondering if any TR experts might have the final word. Regards Steve

Can someone enlighten me about Truro's larger sandboxes? I know when he was first restored to service he had the orange-Indian Red type colour on them to match the frames but the preserved era Bachmann model has green ones. This is also true with the real Truro in later days (1994 is the earliest coloured photo i've found it with green ones so far but my main reference book doesn't go much further past than after it was being dismantled following the 1894 BR livery April fools event but I have a black frame livery pic of him in 1989 visiting the Netherlands) so i'm wondering if the former colour was simply an erroneous assumption that was later corrected for the entwined monogram livery or if the decision was made to instead change it to green for different reasons and if so why? Also beside the presence of the frame strengthening lengths below the driving axel boxes am I correct to assume that George Heiron's painting of Truro during his 1904 hurricane descent to be erroneous in that it depicts him with painted numbers on the bufferbeam?

I did try a few search engines first but i'm struggling with this and none of my books cover such a subject-does anyone recognise this type of platform trolley ( the green scooter lookalike with a '3' on it ). I'm guessing its electric/battery operated and i'm half tempted to say the illustration was adapted from a King's Cross photo from around the 1950s but i've not come across anything similar to it before.