Chamby

An interesting observation. The large logo livery did work for some loco’s, particularly the Class 50 in my book. But this was also probably the first livery where the logo/paint scheme started to predominate over the loco itself, rather than the other way around. Nowadays it seems to be the norm for the corporate logo to be dominant and the locomotive underneath it is purely coincidental. And that sums things up for me about the modern railway scene... corporate identity now overrides the locomotives character every time. A few years ago, when I commuted daily into central London between Twyford and Paddington, FGW introduced their overall purple scheme with the wiggly pink lines on the side. The commuters all joked how it represented how the timetable changes introduced at the same time had become disorganised and in disarray, with broken connections and customer service generally unravelling! Phil.

This is a lovely model, rather different from the usual fare and very atmospheric... the sort of layout I could linger at, at an exhibition. Is the layout still incomplete though? It does leave me a little concerned about animal welfare. A gate or stile on the footpath would help prevent the sheep from wandering onto the railway line and coming into harms way, and similarly the chickens would seem to be free to wander on the road or railway, if they were to go exploring. Or is it just my application of modern values, inappropriate in the historical context? Funny what your mind fixes on, when presented with such modelling excellence! Phil

That’s not a problem I have had, though like other flexi-track, the sleepers will misalign a bit if heavily handled. It should be nice and straight fresh from the box, with sleepers well aligned. Find a supplier who looks after their stock better.

Seeing all the levers in situ and it’s close resemblance to a real signal box... are you going to have a shelf above with block telegraph indicators, bells and repeaters... plus the track and signalling diagram.... and maybe even a faux window to look out over the tracks, with a wood stove and armchair behind you of course!

Let me know next time you come over. The barmaid in my local in Portmellon pulls a nice pint of both! Phil

What??? No Tribute or Proper Job from St Austell brewery? A missed opportunity, I respectfully submit. Phil.

Whilst adding extra weight to RTR locomotives undoubtedly improves traction, enabling heavier loads to be pulled, surely this also increases loading on the mechanism/components, probably beyond their design capability. I would not be surprised if the problem with your A4 was a consequence of the extra loading, with the axle quartering being the victim of excessive strain in a situation when an unweighted model would have simply experienced wheel slip. An illustration that you can only do so much with RTR, perhaps. That said, as has been discussed here before, scale length trains of RTR stock are normally fine behind RTR locomotives. Phil.

And of course, the pictures will almost certainly have been taken with different cameras using different lenses...

. Recreating the 1948 locomotive trials might be a legitimate option... that might be within Tony’s gift at some time. 46236 wasn’t in crimson livery at the time, but her black with crimson and cream lining (with freshly painted ‘BRITISH RAILWAYS’ on the tender sides) would make for a mighty fine sight in front of the dynamometer car. Then there’s also a Merchant Navy, rebuilt Royal Scot and (cough) King Henry VI. Phil

The road traffic behind the control panel, in the last picture, made me smile! Phil

Clive, please note that I referred specifically to blue diesels - not green ones! Phil.

A blue diesel session on LB would likely be dominated by RTR locomotives and stock. I have rarely, if ever, seen a layout with kit built blue era diesels of the quality that Tony aspires to run. So there are other factors that will need to be put aside, as well as authenticity!

#334. Whatever you decide to cut, leave at least two pieces of webbing between each sleeper, else the point will deform unevenly. You’ll also need to check that the end of the blades still fit in the machined cutaways in the stock rail, if bending the point significantly.

Some interesting reference material (on buffer stops and other permanent way stuff, including original drawings) is available on the website oldpway.info.

Hi Mike, another Phil here! We live in changing times, where Formula One has recently found it necessary to stop using ‘grid girls’ and televised Darts tournaments have made a similar move. These decisions have polarised opinion, with vociferous objections as well as strident support being voiced. Your campaign featuring ‘Fay’ taps into similar sentiments. Some people will see it as a cheap marketing ploy that has nothing to do with the hobby, others will say “good on yer mate”. I guess the impact on your sales volumes will tell you whether, on balance, you are generating the right sort of attention or not.

Hi Tony, I just found your blog whilst browsing somewhere else on RMweb, you have a nice layout, and I like your railway room! Regarding ‘foreign’ stuff on the Southern region, there is probably more than you might imagine. Parcels vans would run on through services, so you could have the odd Gresley teak or other ‘big 4’ full brakes tagged onto some Southern services. Cross country workings, there were several that would have run through Dorset, I am aware of at least two that ran from LNER territory: a Glasgow-Southampton service ran up until the war, using a core of GWR or LNER stock but additional Southern coaches could be added as strengtheners between Oxford/Basingstoke and Southampton. There was also a Newcastle to Bournemouth service with LNER and Southern stock comprising alternate services, one running South as the other ran North. Therefore, Apple Green locomotives would be seen hauling Olive Green coaches on the Northern sections, and Southern loco’s hauling Teak coaches on the Southern section. Locomotives usually changed at Oxford. This service also ceased during WW2 but resumed in 1949 with a longer fixed formation service running the whole route, again alternating LNER and Southern rakes, these became predominantly BR Mk1 coaches by the mid-fifties. It was cut back to a York-Bournemouth service in 1956. Both these services ran via Basingstoke/Oxford and thence up North on the former GC mainline via Banbury. Another source of more ‘pure’ foreign traffic would be football specials. Rarely modelled, for bigger matches a fleet of trains using older passenger stock would run onto foreign metals for a football fixture. For options, you might want to look up which teams Dorset clubs such as Bournemouth and Southampton might be playing in the years of your choice for ideas: even better if you can find photographic evidence. But of course, if you are operating a fictitious location, then fictitious services can also run, with all sorts of interesting inter-regional formations! Phil.

I understand your sentiment John, but in the eyes of the one who holds the chequebook, they probably don’t see the transaction as any different to buying some wire from Rapid Online, or a point from Peco! It is simply one of many commercial transactions they make as they build (assemble) their own project. Sad but true.

Not necessarily - have you ever phoned Olivia's Trains? The manager/owner turns out to be a very gruff, blunt speaking Yorkshire-person.

Clive, totally off topic but I've got to ask... your hair - were you standing too close to the OHLE?

Surely, the colour is most closely associated with the Great Western Railway?

I think it depends on a number of factors, not least the size of the station building. With smaller buildings some nice effects can be achieved, encouraging people to peer behind the station, but larger structures tend to block too much of what people really want to see. As an example, here is a picture taken in 1992 of my former Swiss narrow-gauge layout "RiffelAlp" which sited the station building on the viewing side of the layout. A rather odd railway to post for this thread, but it illustrates the point. Edited to add photo!

Having fun at your customers expense is itself a pretty stupid and useless thing to do, if you are being paid to provide a service and make a sale.

My preference is for the colour photographs, Tony. I can see black and white pictures in any reference book of the period, but the real things were most definitely in full colour! Phil

I don’t think anyone seriously expects Tony to put all his Brunswick Green stuff away in boxes permanently...do they? It is a shame if a little inter-period banter on here has been mis-interpreted as an insult to TW’s magnificent collection. The recent photographs of Apple Green on LB are an absolute delight and I echo the sentiment of others in shouting for ‘more’. It would also be nice to see a few Pacifics wearing BR express blue on LB too! That’s as well as, not instead of the usual content of this thread.

Alternatively, why not keep the somersaults - sell the originals for charity and leave LB in the 1930’s..... Happy days!