Northroader

Just a small rearrangement, brought on by the forthcoming move, I thought I’d change the title of the thread. The space available for a future layout will be minimal, a micro layout, so reduction in train length will be ideal. The last few years have seen me producing American trains which are shorter bodied than they should be (you haven’t noticed?!?!) which will fit in nicely for future requirements.

should have gone to Specsavers: https://www.kentblaxill.co.uk/farrow-ball-modern-eggshell-paint-no-80-saxon-green-750ml-ddaaa66079-c?config_att_size=750ml

Just looking round, and with an eye for the future, I thought I could draw some inspiration from Japanese schoolgirls. (No sniggering at the back of the class) It seems they’ve introduced a whole style known as “Kawaii”, which roughly translates as “cuteness”, and this be extended across a whole spectrum of activities, including model railways. It’s well known that living space in Japan is at a premium, and it would seem there’s a whole design school coming out with “cute” railways, tiny circles in N scale, which can be placed on a shelf in the corner of a small flat. Here is an example of this from a top practitioner: It’s small and simple, and you just watch the motion of the train, no “operation” as such, but the meticulous treatment of the scenery makes it a really lovely model. The “plastic” look of the train isn’t so good, admittedly, but the slow movement is a plus. Now, if the track goes from N to 00, and the size of the baseboard upped a bit, I’ve got my own nearly finished “cute” loco in 1:32 scale ready. There’s also a frame in 2”x1” deal with a foam board top, cork sheet track underlay, and a circuit of 16.5mm gauge track wired up and glued down waiting for my arrival (the only bit of modelling I’ve been able to manage recently) I really need to work hard at the scenery! Roll on the move!

Much later on….

I’m fairly certain that they would be shipped. Photos taken much later show that a lot of smaller parts, such as the motion, went separately crated, but there must have been some fairly meaty dockside cranes, capable of a lift of thirty tons at least, to do the main assembly, frames, boiler, perhaps wheels.

ROMAN RAILWAYS LOCOMOTIVES So much for history, what about the Roman Railways engines? C.Hamilton Ellis did a book a while back, which featured an 1878 album from the system showing some of the fleet. There’s a nice cross section of types, all done in tasteful colours: First there’s a 2-4-0 built in 1848, from Jones & Potts of Warrington, pretty well the standard passenger loco right across Europe. Then, a local product, from Ansaldo of Genoa, a 0-4-2 of 1859. Another Merseysider, a 2-2-2, from Peto, Brassey & Betts, of Birkenhead, 1863. Here’s a lightweight duty job, an Adams 2-2-0T, from Bow in 1850, followed by a transatlantic job, a 4-4-0 by Norris in 1850, but having a four wheel tender:

Then there’s Crossness and Abbey Mills, the Bazalgette ones:

Pssttt….. https://www.didcotdesignandprototyping.com/shop

ROMAN PAPAL STATES RAILWAY. Around the years that railway routes were being developed in most European countries, Italy was still very divided politically, if not in language and culture. There’s a nice animated map showing the convolutions of this era: https://www.vox.com/2014/12/1/7314717/italian-unification You’ll see that the Papal States around Rome had shrunk during this time, but were the last to join the unified nation of Italy in 1870. Up until then the social structure of the States had been resembling mediaeval ideas, being governed by a church hierarchy, and the lower classes very dependent on charity. Pope Pius IX tried to modernise in some ways, introducing railway development radiating out from Rome, but resisting national unification, leading finally to a pitched battle to occupy Rome, and the Pope being confined to the Vatican. Here’s a map showing the extent of the Roman railways in 1870, and linking in with the Rome Termini picture previously shown:

Try aluminium cooking foil, Sam, just flatten it, glue some thread on the back as securing ropes, then primer, Matt black, and letter. If you use a mapping pen for the letters don’t press too hard!

I fancy he’s a porter transferring baggages across between the two platforms. This would show the second Edge Hill station, although still dating from the 1830s, with a claim to be the oldest operational station in the world.

‘Bye to the Hercules from Wootton Bassett:

Out away from big towns in the 1940s, I did a trip over to the nearby farm with a quart jug to get milk direct, the bulk of his production went into two or three churns, collected by lorry, to a diary who processed into milk bottles for the nearest city. I would expect around the 1900s era milk bottles were in the future, certainly rural Wales, and you had a person going round in a cart selling milk ladled out of a churn in a measure to various customers, including hotels and guest houses.

There’s an engraving of Edge Hill in the 1830s with what looks like a three quarter view of a Sharps single, perhaps “Dove” referred to by Jonathan.

Narcissus?

ROME TERMINI 1868. I came across a really nice old photograph recently. It’s not dated, I would hazard a very broad estimate of the 1870s. It’s captioned as Rome Termini, and gives a very complete picture of the old terminus with a passenger longboiler 2-4-0 and a third class coach, and a great skyline of ancient buildings. It would make the basis of a nice early era Minories type layout, and you don’t get many of these with a coach parked square across the running lines! Evidence of the early way of forming trains out of carriage sidings parallel with the platform lines using small turntables. “Termini” is a translation I can jump in with both feet, it doesn’t mean ‘terminus’, but in fact ‘hot baths’, as immediately outside the front of the modern marble and glass station there is the remains of a wall which formed part of the Baths of Diocletian, a juxtaposition which keeps happening all over Rome. The modern station, with its 33 platforms, is very much in the future for this view, this must be close to the original station built in 1868 by the Papal States before Italian unification. Pope Pius IX initiated the Roman Railways, with three lines radiating away from Rome into the territory of the Papal States, and decided to have a single station to serve Rome, south east of the city centre. This had the curious effect if you’re on the “Rome Express” from Paris, say, coming down the west coast from Pisa, of seeing the dome of St. Peter’s several miles east of you, and realising you’re heading south past the city, then sweeping round in a great curve, being joined by more tracks and flying junctions, along a section of the ancient Servian city wall to enter Termini.

Red lower half, glossy black top, you cannot fail.

Thanks for the explanation, Annie, this threads been running just over two weeks and got to five pages already, and it’s been hard keeping up. Good luck with your n.g. bits to start with, then.

With all this stuff, I’m getting baffled with the old 00 track and On16.5 wagons and O locos? What’s intended, have I missed something?

“CLOSELY WATCHED TRAINS” Fancy a night out at the movies? I think everyone is familiar with “The Train”, about the retreating German Army making off with looted art treasures and being foiled by the French Resistance, led by Burt Lancaster. Also set in 1944, is another film with a lot of railway interest, set in German occupied Bohemia, made by the Czech film industry. Probably not as well known, as it’s fifty seven years old, and has English subtitles. A lot of the railway equipment that appears comes from pre WW1 Austrian setting, which is my justification for placing it on here.

Well, a year has gone by since that picture, and I was thinking with the anniversary coming up, I’d best finish the loco off and do a post. Then in mid March I needed major surgery, which stopped modelling for the time, and the loco stayed just the same. For now it’s packed away, together with my modelling gear, ready for a move to a smaller house. Funnily enough I was getting a small layout ready before my illness, which I can do bits on, so I should be up and running fairly quickly, and I think the style of modelling outlined on this thread, in fits and starts, should be well suited to the circumstances. I crave your indulgence for just a bit longer, this thread has turned out to be very messy, and the great picture crash didn’t help.

The one snag about the second way round is that the arrangement for supporting the chimney was never intended for public viewing, as being a bit of a blacksmith’s job, so was always tucked away in the corner. I think they do come over better than the HO buildings. I’m thinking with all the changes, I might need to start a new American thread. Anyway, glad you’re enjoying them. Bob.

Torre station, it looks like a “Just stop oil” protest to me, the way they’re sitting all over the track.

After my post of a fortnight ago, re offloading book and models, things have become lively, and several distinguished visitors have passed through the portals of Northroader Towers. I can now put faces to five of the avatars on here, all great people, plus fine wives, and who’ve helped me to downsize, and we’ve really enjoyed meeting them and having a chat, and I’m very glad to see the enjoyment and use of what has gone. There’s still more to go, and a lot of sorting out needed, but it is much nearer the slimmed down stock that’s needed. (Wife: “is all that got to go to Cheltenham!?!?” in scandalised tones) So many thanks, it does confirm what a great bunch of people are on RMweb. Onwards and Upwards.

Now, Stephen, don’t start winding people up. We’ll get @Schooner saying the boys sitting in a Severn trow next.