MarkAustin

Remember, Peco don't make OO gauge track. They make HO gauge. Aimed at the much larger US market, with thinner sleeper closer together.. If you want real OO track you need someone like C&L. Mark A

Chris, Any chance of a chassis for the 2mm version? John, Nice to see you're better now. Remember a while back I asked about a traight-framed (Lady series) Saint, and you said it was possible. Any word? Mark A

Have you got contact details fgor him? I will need some transfers. Mark A

A trick I leasrned from Thomas Knapp of the Nn3 Alliance, who has a multi-period Nn3 layout of the Pacific Coast 3ft lines, is to mount all period specific stuff (people, vehicles etc) on wire spikes, and locate them in brass tubes where required. Easy to change, but fixed on the layout when fitted. Mark A

Not heard of this supplier before. Is there a web site? Mark A

Looking at the photographs, it appears that the half-timbering is proud of the surface. This is not usually the case (except ffor the "stockbrokers Tudor" of the inter-war years}. Quick outline of half-timber construction. A wooden frame was built up, using unseasoned wood generally. The wood was coated with tar to preserve it, and the gaps filled with wattle and daub, which is a mix of clay, horse manure at brushwood. When dray and hardened this would be given a coat of limewash to seal the surface. Over time, the wood dried out and shrank. As the in-fill did not shrink, the timbers became slightly recessed into the walls. Assuming the structure was properly maintained, it would stay like that---many examples survive from the Middle Ages. Sometimes, the cottage walls were rebuilt, generally after a period of neglect leading to deterioration in the walls. This involved stripping out the in-fill, and replacing either with a similar filling to the previous or non-structural brick. In this case the new in-fill would be flush. As by this time the wood would be fully seasoned, thus it would remain. So, for half-timbered cottage-style buildings, the framing is either recessed (if original) or flush (if rebuilt). Mark A

I've seen a number of photographs of Private Owner wagons for small local users where the number used was the year of building. Made them look a bit more impressive when trudnling around the system. Mark A.

Chris, Some companies refered to the Working Timetable as the Service Timetable. Both the Cambrian and the GWR did. Otherwise, they're the same thing. There's no Public Timetable for 1895: there's one for 1894 and then 1898, so I would assume the 1894 one simply carried on (It's RAIL 923/17, bound with the STTs). They generally said 1894 until further notice, and at that time most companies only issued a new timetable when things changed. Bradshaw (it's RAIL 902 (No it's not, it's 903 and 1895 is at RAIL 903/96-98)) came out Monthly IIRC, so it's always worth cross-checking just in case a train time etc was changed with a Special Notice. There's a 923/15, Special Train Notices. It's dated 1887, but this might just be the date of the first one. You've got to treat TNA dates in RAIL with a bit of suspicion. What they did was look at the first page, write down the earliest date; look at the last page and write down the latest. Fine for minutes, not much good for other stuff. Do you have a current Readers Ticket? If so, you can pre-order documents: when you do so ask for a seat at a photographic table. They have nice sturdy camera stands you can fix your digicam to, so no camera shake and much easier to square up the image. I'll try to get that stuff to you tonight: I'm afraid it slipped my mind last night. Mark A

The National Archives has the 1910 Public Timetable at RAIL 923/34 and Service Timetable at RAIL 923/35. If you can't get easily to Kew PM me, and I'll photgraph them---I get up there pretty well every week, and it would only take a few minutes. Mark A

Before the GWR used bar levers, the standard lever was a weighted lever that was switched forward and back parallel to the running line. It's not a very clear photograph, but in the Templot and hand laid track forum, there's a photgraph of a ladder of Barry slips (in Barry Yard) with just such a lever. they continued to be used in yards as locos go go through them the wrong way and the lever would simply lift up as the blades were pushed aside. You couldn't do that with the bar lever type. There are drawings in the GWR track book. I'll scan and post them tonight or tomorrow http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/93181-barry-slips-at-barry/ Mark A

Roofs of both wagon and coaching stcok were painted with white lead. When applied it is a fairly pure white. However, this does not last. White lead reacts with atmospheric sulphur (pretty common around steam engines) and goes grey. The older the paint job, the darker the grey. So, any new stock will show up with a white roof. This is true of most official pictures. In-service could be any colour between white and dark grey depending on when last painting. I believe, however, that you are right in saying that roofs were painted grey during WW2. Mark A

Another useful source of baseboard bits and pieces is http://www.stationroadbaseboards.co.uk/ I've used them. Generally very good quality and quick mail-order turn round. Mark A

Mark, In the link you mention Railway Bylines Summer Special. Is that number one with the narrow gauge loco on the front cover? The Railway Bylines webpage has this, but I can't see a table of contents for it. Mark A

It's worth pointing out that before cheap coal tar type dyes came out, black and other dark colours were very expensive, and thus high prestige. With vegetable dyes, to get black involved two or three separate dying processes. Purple was even more expensive, hence it's association with royalty. In general, you would find upper class men mostly ewearing black, women either dark colours or white or light colours, mostly for the young and in summer. The lower orders would mostly be in browns, sometimes green, and the middle classes somewhere inbetween. Mark A

What did you use for the spectacle glass? Mark A

I could in the middle future (if you know what I mean) with some finials. Will you let us know when you're reordering, so we can work out how many we'd need. I presume you would allow about 50% ec=xtra for wastage. Mark A

I'd second Mark's point. Two tips. Use a curved template to lay the track, in particular for the (by 2mm standards) sharp 2ft curves. This doesn't have to be anything elaborate, just a 1mm ply curved section. Also, avoid wherever possible having rail joints on the curved sections. If you have to be very careful in making them as it is very easy to leave a kink in the track at a joint. Mark A

There's a list in the instructions. Two parts. First a list of the common parts needed by all kites, then a table giving the special needs of each kit plus a suggested alternative motor. can't see anything else is necessary, although a "required components" a la wagon kits would be nice. Mark A

It's often said that coach/waggon roofs darkened due to weathering and built-up grime. This is incorrect. The roofs were painted with white lead, which reacts with sulphur (IIRC) and gets progressively darker over time. Consequently, unless you are modelling a new rake of stock, any formation could have roofs of any colour between white and darkish grey depending on the time since the vehicle was out-shopped last. It's an important distinction about the process, as the roof base colour would be uniform at any time with only a secondary change due to smoke etc. Mark A

Just checked, Yes, Shire Scenes, ref. S43 3 GWR PLATFORM SEATS, short type, curly monogram Mark A

If you're looking at a multi-period layout, may I share a trick with you that I got from Tom Knapp of the Nn3 Alliance (he's USA based and models the 3ft NG lines). He does the same thing, and has cars, people, anything that's period specific and fixed, detachable and fixed in place by a pin in, for example, the foot/leg of a figure locating in a tube sunk in the baseboard. Things can be removed and replaced quickli, but can't be knocked over by a jolt on the baseboard. Mark A

A source I found useful, if you havn't already tried it is the National Library of Wales. They've got quite a few railway photographs, and also the Aerofilm and RAF 1940 arial survey photographs for Wales. A bit late for your period, but the basic landscape wouldn't have changed much, and I don't think the track layout changed much either. Mark A

I could do with a few items off that etch, in particular the seat end, signal box windows and shunt ahead signal. Would quite happily by a complete etch if that's the simplest way. If possible, please contact me off-list Mark A

Don't rely on OS maps for track layout: it was quite often the case that cross-overs etc were omitted. The signalling diagram is almost certainly correct. Mark A

I agree that signal 41 is badly sighted. I suspect that, if it cannot be relocated, it would be a on a short post and a center pivot "somersault" signal to avoid fouling the lien. The GWR wasn't a great user of these, but did use them in these circumstances. There was one on Cockett station where the platforms come right up to a rather high overbridge, and the Down starter is beyond the bridge. Mark Austin