Broadoak

The old red bodied Simplex with the man riding on the bonnet has never looked quite right to me. So I have made a new body out of plasticard which is supposed to represent wooden panelling. It is very loosely based on a device working on the Fleet Light Railway which is pictured in Stewart Squires excellent Lincolnshire Potato Railways book. The body on mine is lower to clear the bridge into the fiddle yard. The one in the book looks as if you could stand up on the footplate, mine caters for a seated driver only. Peter M

The Rock Island virtually invented the road switcher with the Alco RS1. It is a concept that today dominates the industry. It began simply enough with a request to Alco for a 1000 hp switcher on a lengthened frame with road trucks and room for a short hood behind the cab. The engine end being considered the front, as per switcher practice. The first unit called an RS1 for road/switch 1, was delivered in March 1941, followed before the outbreak of war (for America) by three more. The original four were requisitioned by the War Department for urgent use overseas. My version is lettered for the Talbot Valley Rail Road and is an Atlas model. She is seen shuffling cars around the yards at Benson. Peter M

I hadn't posted anything about Two Sister’s Farm for ages so I hope Mick Thornton doesn’t mind but here are three of his excellent photographs. They were taken at NG South Sparsholt College, Winchester. I very much regret I cannot find the original photos. Peter M

Hi Simon, The figures look very good value at around £10 for 12 assorted characters. I thought the two I have captured the look 1960's rather well as far as motor sport was concerned. They are well moulded and could be altered with a bit of work. Regards Peter M

Interstate & Western High hood GP7 #7 is seen arriving at Benson and passing Arkansas Feeds mill with a Hubinger black tank car. She spots the car in the east yard, then makes her way to the Trisco Flour Mill to pick up some loaded box cars. An Athearn blue box model with a few added details. Not the prettiest locomotive maybe, but I find them very attractive in a no nonsense workman like way. Peter M

I did a show at Reading last October and it being a two day affair I was kindly assisted on the Saturday by Simon Andrews (he of Badger’s Bottom fame). On the Sunday when things quietened down in the late afternoon I had a wander round and found on the organising club’s stand a box of mixed figures all in different scales. I bought two 1/32 scale figures for 50 pence. They were un-painted and made of a hard white plastic. They both had thick bases and quite a lot of flash. After a lot of work with a scalpel and various files they have cleaned up quite well. I painted both with acrylics and placed them on the layout these pictures show the two figures. I have since found out that they are both from the old Airfix 1/32 Track Officials and Spectators set. Apparently, these moulds were eventually acquired by MRRC and might still be available from Pendle Slot Car Racing - http://www.pendleslotracing.co.uk/ The mechanic in grubby brown overalls with a fuel can. The estate owner’s brother in a duffle coat, walking stick and deer stalker has probably cadged a lift on one of the freelance shunters Peter M

Andy my ever reliable helper took a few photos while we were at at a show in aid of church funds in Rushden Northants. They serve to illustrate a couple of minor additions I have made to the Fordson rail tractor. They are the addition a throttle control rod to the carburettor and a control rod to the magneto for the advance retard device. The Porter has had the high bulkhead between the footplate and the boiler removed which has I think improved its appearance. Another figure has been added as company for the driver. Peter M

A few more Sunday nothing much happening shots. The far end of the team track with the abandoned remnants of the original ore loading equipment. A load of odds and ends from the spares box painted and weathered really. The rock face hides a very tight curve, a case of what the eye doesn't see. [url=https://flic.kr/p/25iZwv x][/ url] A Rock Island covered hopper left overnight. A car load of fertiliser which will be unloaded at the farmer's Co-op elevator. Then it will be put into sacks so that a lot of smaller farmers get to share the benefit of bulk buying. ] A small stake truck has just unloaded the pallet of sacks of drilling mud. This is used to seal the bit from escaping gases etc. when drilling for oil. Peter M

As I had another exhibition coming up, I set the layout up to check clearances and the running of the Fordson rail truck. The controller I use on Two Sister’s Farm gives slightly slower running than a similar model on the switching layout that I used for testing the machine originally. I am pleased to say it runs very slowly and smoothly if a little noisily. I think this is due to the feedback controller as much as anything. I have added a few more bits and dusted it over with chalks. I wanted to see what it looked like in an agricultural setting. I think the flash used in the photos make the driver look a little paler than he really is. Peter M

At the same time the tractor based device was being built I was working on another rail truck. This has a Zvezda GAZ-AAA Russian 1/35 scale kit of a Ford based lorry as a basis. The real trucks were built under license in Russia during the second World War. Because the prototype is a small vehicle I used the three axle truck to give a little more length, the two axle version being very short, more like a tipper. I must admit I am a little disappointed with the way this has turned out. It has one saving grace however, it runs superbly and I’m happy to make allowances for decent running. The kit was inexpensive and turned out to be rather poor with regard to the fit and quality of many parts. The clear plastic windows being especially troublesome. But with a lot of fiddling and cutting I eventually managed to get it to fit a Con-Cor switcher chassis. It is a kerosene tanker for refuelling the tractors out in the fields. The tank is actually an HO scale Walthers Oil Terminal item I have modified to suit its new role. I added flat shelves to the body sides to hold the refuelling pipes and a couple of wooden boxes for tools. The hand rails are made from paper clips and the rubber refuelling pipes are resin cored solder. The exhaust pipe and silencer I have move and now is fitted to the front of the vehicle to minimise the fire risk. Peter M

The Fordson Major 27n powered rail truck is the latest device to have come out of the farm workshop. It looks just the sort of vehicle to find on a farm railway, sadly it was not. It is very loosely based on a device made by Muir Hill that provided the inspiration for to build something similar for my Two Sister‘s Farm. I was given a damaged 1/32 scale white metal Fordson and having a photo of the Muir Hill device decided it would be an excellent starting point. The model is powered by a WB35 Tenshodo bogie. This is held by one screw to a plasticard false chassis which in turn is held by two screws to the plasticard chassis that supports the white metal tractor body. The driver figure is a German tank crewman supposedly playing cards from Master Box. The finished model is much higher from the rail top than the Muir Hill example due to the space taken up by the Tenshodo bogie. Therefore it is assumed an accident damaged tractor had a chassis built for it in the farm workshop. It is used for light shunting in the yard due to its relatively low power and its three speed gearbox. It still needs a little more work on the weathering, I find the photos helpful. Peter M

Hi Stewart, With regard to the farm tractors crossing the track they don't. The workshop is a low relief model so is actually much longer in real life, the tractors leave the workshop at the other end. I hope that makes sense. I suppose in a way the model is a caricature really, I hope it is believable if a bit unlikely. A local preservation society near me use a JCB tractor and that runs directly over the track, which is standard gauge without any damage. I think it is stronger than it looks. Thank you for taking an interest. Regards Peter M

Thank you Dave. I wasn't too sure about joining in as there seems to be very little in large scale. Having done so I am very glad I did. Peter M

A very nice job you have done Mike. I like that very much indeed. Regards Peter M

Getting a bit serious now. According to Diesel Era's book EMD's GP18, the GP18 locomotive offered in 1958 appeared to be just an improved GP9 on the outside but in reality offered many internal improvements. Among the advancements were: new D47 traction motors; new electro magnetic control equipment; water cooled air compressors; automatic reservoir drain valves; new compressor coupling; panel-type oil bath air filters; seven element lube oil filters; new piston and ring combination; new cylinder liner pilot and seal assembly; new crankshaft profile; new lube oil cooler baffle; improved main generator insulation and grease sealed armature bearing; and a new coil spring design accessory drive gear. The improvements were all designed to reduce maintenance costs by eliminating scheduled shop maintenance time by 50%. So a bit more than cosmetic changes. Peter M

She made her debut at a specialist narrow gauge show at Barton le Clay Bedfordshire, this is Tilly, the latest addition to the farm’s growing fleet of unusual vehicles. It is an ex Second World War 10 HP light utility car with a pick up body. She is used for track maintenance purposes and not general haulage. The kit is made by Tamiya and is rather delicate with many parts being a poor fit. I have left the bonnet off to show the details in the engine bay, as it seemed a pity to hide them. I made a false chassis to attach and locate the body to the power unit which is from an HO Bachmann HI-rail track maintenance van. The body has a solid block of plasticard at the back of the false chassis which was drilled and tapped. One long screw then holds the two together. It has little out rider wheels which also pick up current. I added extra weight in any place I could to help it track better. The first two photos are of the new track maintenance vehicle arriving back in the yard having spent the day adding sidings from the main line into the fields ready for the potato harvest. Photos by Andy Knott Photo by Mick Thornton Peter M

The engine has been left out side the engine shed for repair it was left by the Davenport. She is then seen coupled up to a flat wagon with some bales of hay which will be taken to pig sties in the yard. Peter M

A selection of shots featuring the quad going about its business on several different occasions in the yard. Peter M

Simon, as I stated on another forum when I left school in 1960 I worked at Scammell Lorries in Watford. I wanted to be a technical illustrator but had to do some time in the works first. I was at Moor Park for a while were lorries were converted into tractor units. At that time the works had a very successful tug of war team that they were very proud of. Finding another group to act as a weight to pull against for training was always a problem. One lunch time a group of us volunteered to be the other team and we positioned ourselves at the very end of the work shop. What the proper team did not know was we tied our end of the rope to the front bumper of the yard goat in the yard round the corner. An original 1950's mechanical horse. The real team huffed and puffed but never pulled us over, they were not best pleased when they found out why we couldn't be pulled over. Regards Peter M

Thank you Eric, I like to think it is believable if not very likely. I did do some research before I started carving the lorry bodies about. I found photos of Bedfords being used in New Zealand on a forestry railway, it was 3 foot gauge actually. There are still trucks and vans used today in Rumania. Any way thank you for your interest and the links, super stuff there. Regards Peter M

A selection of photographs taken at various exhibitions by the narrow gauge specialist photographer Mick Thornton. Mick is never happy with his pictures but they look fine to me. Peter M

Just to muddy the waters a bit more here are some pictures of another Rock Island geep, this one is a GP18. #1350 is seen in shuffling cars in the yard at Benson. I just love first generation geeps. Peter M

Hi Mike, I found when operating Colonel's Crossing my assorted operators never liked the GP30 or F units. Me I like both. Dan, the difference between a GP7 and 9 is something to do with the louvres over the battery boxes, I think. A GP30 in Cotton Belt colours was on my must get but never did list. Peter M

Thank you Simon, I am having to redo a lot of my photos as they were on image shack. I have had nothing but problems with them. With regard to a Scammell a 1/32-1/35 version of the original mechanical horse would be nice. The big recovery and oil rig jobs would be much too big for my tiny layout. I have an OO scale Mechanical horse in GWR livery and very good she looks too. Phil I have a Tilly as you will see before long. Regards Peter M

By way of a change here are a selection of what I call Sunday pictures. A farmer at the local garage refuelling and checking over his John Deere in readiness for the forthcoming harvest the following week. A Union Pacific box car lurking in the siding next to the Continental Grain Co elevator. A Rock Island 40 foot box car being loaded with locally grown fruit and pink tomatoes at the Talbot Valley Farmer's Co-op. Peter M