Northroader

Mum lets us go out to play together.

Here's a shot of the underside of the superstructure:Most of the old locos had the running plate running flat straight between or over the bufferbeams, so I cut a rectangle of brass, around .018", the length and width of the loco, and in this case add a bit extra on the length. I then do the flares across the full width of this, and concurrently bend two pieces of square section rod or tube, in this case I think 1/16", to match the side elevation to form the angles underneath, and then check all the curvature matches. When I'm happy, i solder this up, and trim off the end to the right length, then add buffer beams and buffers, mark centre line, and mark against the chassis for the holes where the frame stretchers are used to attach the superstructure. (I've left the screws in to show where these are) Then it's just a question of fixing the running plate on the chassis and marking up where clearance holes for wheels and motor go, and carving these out. The rest of the superstructure follows, with the bottoms of splashers, tanks filed to fit the flare. With larger modern locos the running plate goes up and down all over, but I leave these alone. Edit: the running plate may need further reinforcement along the narrow strip above the frame between the wheel slots and the motor hole.

Well, it's taken some time, phased in with other jobs, but I've finally got the feed mill done. You'll see from the boxcars nearby that it's not that big, but I'm quite happy with the way it fills the corner, blocking out the short yard entrance, and adding some balance with the other two buildings on the line, and of course forming a realistic traffic point.

I deeply admire EE as well.

Sorry, Don, you're right. I've edited the dates to conform.

There's a set of six volumes, published by Heffer of Cambridge in 1947, called "Loco and train working in the latter part of the nineteenth century" They're a collection of the articles written as a series in the "Locomotive Magazine" in the 1920s, with selected photos added. They were written by E.L. Ahrons, who started off as an apprentice at Swindon in 1880s after school in the Bradford area, very keen railfan, with career in loco engineering. He also wrote "History of the British Steam Loco 1825- 1925 " which I referred to recently. Ireland is covered in volume six. They still turn up in second hand dealers, by now very tatty and dog eared. They're not completely systematic in their approach, usually giving some history and geography of the Railway being dealt with, then jumping round locos, and maybe some "stop watch" trips, which turn me off, and maybe some funny stories. In the Irish volume you won't find the BNCR, BCDR, or the CBSC for instance. I still like them as a useful place of reference, though.

TBH, I quite like the look of the outside framing on the trailing bogie, they always give a loco a bit more ... oomph?? Don't let it spoil the operetta, that did conjure up a lovely picture, with a chorus line of Rosie the Rivetter types twirling round.

That's great, Sam, all the locos ive built to date are inside cylindered. Ive got to follow your example and stop dithering and wrap up an outside cylinder job.

Well, er, its like this, folks, I've got a confession to make - the model I posted that started all this off, er, isn't actually, er, a Fairlie! (Whoops, gasp, shock, horror!) I got the books out, following the question from Alan (islandbridgejunc) about the number. The GSWR inchicore built locos started with two single Fairlies, nos.33/4, in 1869, making them the first single Fairlies, designed by McDonnell their loco. chief. Sometime later, 1870-4, a batch appeared 27/28/30-2/35-8/41/42, and in 1879, 29/39/40. These were just like the two original Fairlie engines, BUT the idea of a leading steam bogie was dropped, (flexible steam pipe problems?) and the drivers,etc, were mounted on a fixed frame conventionally, with a trailing bogie. The main distinguishing feature between the two sorts was that the Fairlies had outside steam pipes in front of the dome rather like a lot of continental engines, and the trailing bogie had inside frames. I've been working off a drawing for the second, non Fairlie type, which had the same overall dimensions. Mr. McDonnell left for the NER in 1880, succeeded by Mr. Aspinall. He must have liked the 044Ts, as more appeared in 1883-7, nos 47-51,70-84, only this time they had a shorter wheelbase, which made sense. Still, Fairlies are so much more fun, aren't they? So here's exhibit A, sorry about the lighting, dated 1851. It's an Austrian loco built for trials on the Semmering incline: The first double Fairlie was built for the Neath & Brecon in 1865, but had problems down to the inner firebox not being divided, so that with the engines out of synch, the draught went anywhere. There were only about six built for standard gauge British lines. We've just seen the first single Fairlie appeared in Ireland in 1869, but again hardly any were built for British use. The Festiniog application of double Fairlies was from 1869 and brought world wide attention, with a lot of export orders, mainly Mexico, South America, Sweden, and Russia. Sometime while this was going on, Mr Fairlie found time to put the fair Miss England in the club. The Fairlie I shed a tear for is the one built for the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railway, which survived to pass through the Welsh Highland into Festiniog ownership, MOEL TRYFAN. Built in 1877 as a single Fairlie, but with a three axle power bogie, making it the first 064T in Britain. In the 1920s it was still capable of making a daily round trip Dinas to Blaenau and back. Finally it was dumped at Boston Lodge, badly in need of repairs, part stripped down, and robbed of brass fittings. In 1954, the new preservation group decided the works was cluttered up, and scrapped it. SCRAPPED IT!!!

Is this the end of the S&D?

Thanks, Kevin! (I can make finescale look like it's tinplate)

While I'm at it, the thought might occur to folks that an 044 is an 440 running backwards, and on Washbourne, four axle locos are L-O- N -G..., so build in some flexibility. Here's on successful attempt at a double bogie loco built on Fairlie principles, but which really should never be like this in proper prototype practice: You'll see the power bogie has the motor underslung, and is mounted at a rake, so it can clear the centre pivot. I've placed thebogies to show how they can accommodate a curve. It's also a FINISHED model, me, finishing a model!! So , for mr. Islandbridges delight, or maybe not, as it's a Broadstone loco, here's what it looks like right way up:

Taff Vale brake vans were numbered in a block 6301 - 6449, a few having a "0" prefix. The GWR gave them numbers in the block 68765 - 68913. A lot went pretty quickly, and the last few survivors 8/1932, it appears. Most of the TVR freight fleet lasted much longer.

In view of the foregoing, we'd best have a look underneath: At the top we've got the Fairlie, underneath is a run of the mill 044T. This one is an old CCW underframe I picked up cheap, it was for a LSWR/ SR M7, but I've shortened the underframe and moved the bogie pivot in-over to return it to its Scottish roots. There are fixing screws anchoring the underframe to the footplate /body shewing either side of the drivers, so these are solid with the superstructure. The rear bogie has a central securing screw, and the transom is slotted so it can shift across from side to side, which is necessary as the front drivers stay in line with the body. The bogie pivot has a coil spring and washer above the transom, and I find this set up works very well. Actually the width of the slot is excessive, I did this for the tight curve points on Washbourne mk. 1, but not so much is needed now. The other thing is the rear bogie needs to have pickups fitted. Looking at the Fairlie, you can see a screw centrally positioned between the drivers, which forms the pivot to attach the leading driving truck to superstructure. (The other screw you see behind the drivers is for the motor securing strap) Because of the centre pivot, the motor is placed to overhang to the rear of the driving bogie. This works against me, the overhang doesn't allow the bogie to "wag" very far. I would have done better to keep the motor pointing the other way, and have a "high level" pivot arrangement above the motor, like most diesel power bogies do. As a result the rear carrying bogie still needs a slot in the transom to traverse sideways, like the other 044t. On paper both bogies should pivot sufficiently that no sideplay is needed. The two screws at the ends of the bogie frame just attach the outside, dummy, frames. Incidentally, for the Fairlie I used a side elevation drawing that appeared in Ahrons' "British Steam Locomotive 1825- 1925" which looks like it's from a block used in an old "Locomotive Magazine".

I'm pretty sure facing point locks were a board of trade requirement from much earlier on.

Nope, Alan's right (he knows my partiality to Irish subjects) it's a GSWR single Fairlie, or will be one of these days when I finish it off. At present I'm trying to wrap up a representative set of LBSCR stuff.

When did they go back to having a mixed gauge track there?

The ballasting is really helping the appearance, but I dunno about young Percy.

On the Victorian coastal defences/ narrow gauge railway theme, Hurst Castle is worth a look at. It's at the West end of the Solent,approached across a long shingle spit from Milford on sea. (West of Lymington) it started off as a Henry VIII coastal defence, but was considerably beefed up in the Napoleonic and Palmerston eras. There's no standard gauge connection, but a small line moved the shells around behind the castle, a lot of it is still there, in a very rusted state.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurst_Castle

That is a really beautiful layout. On the question of GER coach colours, I was talking to Mr Phoenix Paints a while ago, after some GER coach brown, and he didn't do it, because he'd never been able to find a reliable sample to match it to. Looking at the model layouts where I have colour pictures, first Graham Overtons "Little Fen", his coaches are done In a scheme which I could best describe as like a cup of tea, not too strong and not too milky. Then there's the Welding Institutes MRC "Sporle", here the coaches are a mixture, a lot are the same "tea" colour, but there are also teak ones and mahogany ones. The British Railway Modelling series by Nigel Digby says coaches were plain varnished teak, but once panels became discoloured, brown "teak" paint was used, and yellow lining applied. His painting shows a somewhat scruffy teak finish. Rather confusingly the GER painted their coaches MR crimson lake post WW1, and the preserved compo (on the KESR?) is done like this. In LNER days it looks like they went back to "teak" paint.

I think part of the joy of tinplate is it tends to be in a circuit, as they're made to go round very tight curves, so ovals can be fitt ed in easier. The only two of my layouts that saw serious running were both roundy roundys. Terminus to fiddle yard jobs have been very much here today, gone tomorrow, and I'm still striving to get a decent one. Some folks never learn! The other plus is they started off to be laid on the floor, and retain the ability to run on uneven surfaces, so you're guaranteed bomb proof running, although the British standards look far better than the American standards, which are way o.t.t. Then they do have a bright and cheerful look, always plenty of colour. Besides looking in on Kevin, you can always get your fix here: http://meccano.magazines.free.fr/

You were talking about having room for an 0-6-0 tender engine?