2996 Victor

It certainly seems that way - annoying as I could have used the funds for something more worthwhile.....Ho hum!

Hi James, yes, they're WSF - it was the only option available, unfortunately. I realise that technology is always advancing, but to be honest, I'm somewhat discouraged from using 3D-printed models any time again soon! Cheers, Mark

And the Meridian coach kit arrived today from Narrow Planet!

No progress on the track layout as yet, the only "definite" is a turntable! However, I've received a copies of a couple of books which will hopefully add a little fuel to the flames, and provide some interesting research material. Firstly, I've got a copy of "Civil War Railroads & Models" by Edwin P Alexander. I'm happy to sat that it's a casebound first edition and in fine condition, which is rather nice for a book fanatic like me! It's packed with period photographs and also photographs of the author's models: this is an inspiring book on many levels. And although I understand that the drawings of the rolling stock may not be entirely accurate, they will definitely serve as useful references. I feel a rail-mounted battery coming on..... Secondly, a copy of "The Railroads of the Confederacy" by Gary W Gallagher, which sadly(!) is a brand-new paperback as there didn't seem to be any nice hard cover copies readily available. This is more of a general history, describing in great detail the role of the South's railroads in their struggle against overwhelming odds to support the Confederacy's ill-fated military campaign for existence. All good! I've also spent some time looking at David Bright's website http://csa-railroads.com/ which is also a mine of information, and will definitely repay repeated visits as time goes on! Particularly interesting is the information regarding the rail used on the various Southern railroads, by type and linear mileage. At the time of the War's outbreak, the Southern railroads were running on a variety of types of rail, much of which dated back to the dawn of railed transport. Another interest of mine is Brunel's 7' gauge of the Great Western Railway in England. Brunel designed a very distinctive track for his Magnificent Work, using a U-shaped sectioned rail known as Bridge Rail laid on longitudinal baulks of timber. I was amazed to learn that many of the railroads of the Confederate States also used this pattern of rail, but as much of their rail was imported from England, I suppose that's not entirely surprising! Burgundy's thread on here, "Wandering Through Georgia" (http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/74918-wandering-through-georgia/) took my eye, particularly with regard to his photograph of a display of rails in the Georgia State Railroad Museum. The Bridge Rail is obvious on the second shelf down: According to Bright, my chosen subject of the Georgia Railroad didn't have any U-rail on its lines, at least by the time of the War. However, amongst my bits-and-bobs is a stock of the Broad Gauge Society's 4mm scale Bridge Rail: It's Code45, so perhaps a little "heavy", but I think it might look good if laid in a spur or two! So, its onward with the track layout design, and hopefully soon I'll be able to get a few items of rolling stock ordered from BTS and the like, and get some cars underway. I might even try my hand at a bit of scatchbuilding - not something I've done in years, even though I used to be quite good at it....! Cheers for now! Mark

So, the time has come to start a thread on my "other" planned project, which is to build a small layout, possibly cameo-esque, depicting a fictional branch of the Georgia Railroad. The timeline is 1862-1863. Map of the Georgia RR in 1860: The 1860 map shows there was already a branch running from the Georgia RR Augusta to Atlanta main line at Crawfordville in Taliaferro County, in a generally north-easterly direction to a terminus at Washington. In my fiction, the Washington branch is extended to the town of Goshen in Lincoln County, with a riverside wharf on a creek leading from the Savannah River, a vital transportation artery in those times. The scale will be HO Finescale (HOb5), with a track gauge of 17.5mm as the Georgia RR was laid to a gauge of 5 feet at that time. I'm currently working on a track layout, which may or may not be modular, but which will perforce be fairly simple but hopefully interesting, and when its finalised it will make an appearance here. Cheers for now, Mark

The first real rolling stock kits have arrived from Tichy Train Group. I have to say the quality of the mouldings looks superb: the detail is crisp and light, the parts look to be completely free of flash - I'm really looking forward to assembling them! Pics to follow, of course. So far, I have a six-pack (the only one I've ever had, or indeed am likely to!) of 40' flat car kits, two 55-ton two-bay hopper kits, and a pair of wooden ore hoppers (just because), plus suitable decals. I'm going to need a whole lot more..... Cheers for now! Mark

An email notification arrived earlier from Hattons regarding the Bachmann Baldwin 4-6-0T, release of which has been delayed until April-May 2018. Ho hum..... However, on a brighter note, I've ordered a Meridian Ashover coach kit from Narrow Planet. Just need a few more Class Ds and a Class E!

So today there arrived from the United States of America a copy of "The American Railroad Freight Car" by John H White, Jr. This is no mere book, this is a Tome! It makes "A History of GWR Goods Wagons" by Atkins, Beard, Hyde and Tourret look like a pamphlet..... Whether or not it will be of enormous help with the logging aspect my G&ERRR project, I don't know, but I'm sure it will be a mine of excellent information for the common carrier side of the layout. And furthermore, this book, or rather Tome, will by virtue of its covering in as much detail as exists the early years of American railroads, prove invaluable in my other other burgeoning project: an HO-scale layout set during the War Between the States. Of course, I can't say yet just how good "The American Railroad Freight Car" will prove to be, as it would take several months to read from cover to cover. Instead, I'll dip in and out as I need, which promises to be a both fascinating and enlightening process. Cheers for now! Mark

Eric, A bit of a thread revival - and apologies for hijacking your thread! Andy, you mention gluing down the rail to wooden ties - how effective would this be in the longer term, and what sort of glue would be suitable? Cheers, Mark

Hi Eric, Another bit of thread revival..... Did you ever complete these cars? What did you think of the kits and their method of construction as compared to what we're used to in the UK? Any more photos? Best regards, Mark

I recently happened upon this delightfully atmospheric photograph: On closer inspection, the Shay looks like it has the number "2" on its smokebox door. Of especial interest is the end of the box car, which has very fine matchboard sides and archbar trucks, and appears to have a roof walkway. Probably enough detail from which to build a model - the company initials and running number are a definite bonus! Also noteworthy is the fact that the car is lettered for the Greenbrier, Cheat & Elk Railroad, while the Shay retains the Greenbrier & Elk River RR name on its tender. Meanwhile, my first loco arrived yesterday, all the way from Monticello, Kentucky Apologies for the slightly dingy photograph: Dust seems to be a bit of a problem on these logging roads..... Cheers for now! Mark

And, meanwhile, sketching of the layout's track plan continues.....version 4 is about to be superseded, and hopefully the finalised rough sketch isn't too far away!

Hi Eric, Any progress with The General? How does Bachmann's 4-4-0 effort compare? The firebox cone looks to have a fairly good profile..... Have you decided on your track standards yet? I'm thinking of 5'0" gauge gauge for my projected Southern ACW layout, and I'd like to go 17.5mm gauge. But I haven't got any track-building experience and I can't see that ending well....! Best regards, Mark

My copy of "The Durbin Route" by William Price McNeel arrived today It looks to be a good and informative read, with some good photos for the C&O aspect of my layout. Slightly disappointed with the book itself, which is new not second-hand, as the binding doesn't seem terribly sound..... I've decided to go with early 1920s instead of my original time-frame, at least at the outset, so I'm looking forward to the arrival of a few tasty little kits from one Mr Don Tichy! As I've noted elsewhere in my Ashover Light Railway thread, I picked up a rather neat little laser-cut board crossing on ebay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Laser-Cut-OO-Gauge-Railway-Track-Foot-or-Barrow-Crossing-Pack-of-5-Crossings which I think might also fit in quite well in a West Virginia yard Yes, the loco is a Western Maryland 2-10-0, which may yet find it's way onto the projected high-level track! Cheers for now, Mark

Not sure whether its entirely appropriate to post this pic here as its OO track with an HO Western Maryland 2-10-0, but here is a little something I picked up on ebay: A rather nice laser-cut wooden board crossing! The ebay link is: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Laser-Cut-OO-Gauge-Railway-Track-Foot-or-Barrow-Crossing-Pack-of-5-Crossings Yes, they're 4mm/OO, but I can cut them down for Ashover, and I can also use them on the Greenbrier & Elk River layout as they wouldn't look out of place

Hi Eric, many thanks for the link....it sounds like I'm planning to follow in your footsteps, somewhat! I've had a quick skim through your Roswell and wooden wagons threads, and I'll revisit them this evening when I've got more time to digest. Best wishes, Mark

General Sherman's men did the same to Confederate railroad equipment - the Union soldiers knew the bent rails as "Sherman's neckties". Similarly, when the Confederates employed similar tactics against Sherman's supply line, the Western & Atlantic RR, they were known by Confederate soldiers as "Old Mrs Lincoln's Hair Pins". As for scale, it'll have to be HO/1:87, as I simply haven't got space for O. I'm toying with 17.5mm gauge track, though. But I'm sure that that will only lead to insanity, and perhaps I should stick with 16.5mm and hope to disguise the discrepancy with light-section rail and slightly short ties! But I suppose I should be putting all that in a dedicated thread..... Cheers, Mark

No progress.....in fact, a small step backwards. I started to pick out the black ironwork on one of the Class D bodies, and found that I really do need new glasses.....So it's been repainted in body grey ready for another go when I have more suitable magnification! On a plus note, I've had a couple of sets of transfers arrive from the Old Time Workshop, so I'm looking forward to giving those a try in due course! Enquiries have been made about getting some baseboards made, which are quite favourable. I'm probably going to mirror the track plan such that the long siding runs from the right-hand side of the 3-way. That way, the overall length of track can be slightly reduced and room created for a little extra scenery at the end of the baseboard. Cheers for now, Mark

Hi Eric, many thanks for your reply - very interesting stuff. I'd love to take a trip over there; I want to visit the Cass Scenic RR, but it won't be happening any time soon, I fear! Every day, as they say, is a school day. I had no idea that the UK supplied rail to the US companies in the early days, and certainly no idea that bridge rail, or as I'm learning to call it, U-rail, was ever used outside the UK. But if rail was being imported from the UK, then it would presumably be whatever the rolling mills were making. Brunel designed the baulk road with bridge rail supported on massive longitudinal timber baulks as it allowed a lighter rail section while maintaining the track's structural integrity. The rail didn't tend to fare so well on cross sleepers, so it would be interesting to know how it was laid when used in the US - 5' gauge baulk road is an intriguing notion. Time to try some photographic research..... I've had a look at David Bright's website (I'd already come across it, to be fair), but it is such a vast work that it'll take a great deal of studying to assimilate even a percentage of the information he has unearthed. At the risk of being branded a Reb sympathiser (!), I can already see a Southern RR Civil War era layout on the horizon.....Not sure which road, yet, though! I've even got some Broad Gauge Society bridge rail left over from years ago! Best regards, Mark

Bit of a thread resurrection! Very interested by the bridge rail - I wasn't aware that the great Isambard Kingdom Brunel visited the United States during his lifetime! But seriously, the bridge rail looks visually identical to that used by the Great Western Railway in the UK in it's broad gauge days. But how was it laid? Was it cross-tied or laid on longitudinal baulks? Fascinating thread for me as I'm only recently indulging an interest in the US scene, and among other things the role of the railroads in the Civil War. Cheers, Mark

Further scratching of the surface (I'd hesitate to call it digging, let alone research!) has led me to consider that it might perhaps make more sense, at this stage, to migrate my chosen period forward a little to around 1920. The availability of kits for common-carrier rolling stock for the Class 1 railroad aspect of the layout the seems to be more plentiful than for 1910. However, the jury is still out, and the decision will depend on the outcome of further research. Prof: Again, thanks for your suggested reading - the first few items of research material in book form are on their way to my humble abode, so I'm looking forward to diving in! I was looking at a copy of On Beyond Leatherbark, but the cost of shipping tips it over my budget for this month. I am going to get a copy of "The Model Railroader's Guide to Logging Railroads"! I'm ashamed to say that various things have so far conspired against my having time to watch the Cass & Mower Logging Trains vid.....and then I can think about ordering some of Tichy's products! Oh, thanks for the explanation of hungry boards - that makes perfect sense now that you've explained the term! I'm sure I'll be poring over photos before long looking for a suitable prototype. In the meantime, the first few odds and ends have been arriving! Cheers for now, Mark

Hi Prof, Once again, many, many thanks for all your sage advice, and most importantly, patience with a novice in this sphere! I will most definitely be studying the references you've given me in great depth. So I apologise if it looks like I'm trying to take an easy route of minimal research - not true! I just need to know where to look! On which note, would you say that "The American Railroad Freight Car" by John Has White, Jr, is a good investment? Apologies that this is a short reply, more an acknowledgement, but this is a "children weekend" - a (hopefully!) once-a-fortnight occasion full of fun activities and much busyness! Cheers for now! Mark