Pelham Street

I was originally thinking about cutting lengths of brass rod, the width of a chair with rail cutting snips, and soldering to the rail web where a chair would appear. As the ballast covers every thing else the lack of the rest of the chair won't show. However, it's cutting multiple length all the same size that stopped me before. Any ideas if this will work?

Hi guys, I am constructing track in O gauge by soldering rail to copperclad sleepers. All very old had now days. however I am ballasting alnost to the top of the rail web as I am modelling pre-1900 period. Does anyone make whitemetal chaie tops that can be glued or soldered to represent the very tops of the chairs that poked above the gravel ballast used then?

Hi Guys. I am in need of some 7mm hexagonal gas lamps to be suspended from a station overall roof. The would be quite large and came down to a point at the base. I don't know of any firms that make these. Can anyone help?

Thanks for the prompt reply. Yes the Maunsell Q 0-6-0. I thought the dimensions were close to a Fowler 4F. A friend has Russell,s SR loco book with sort of Weight diagrams in it. The tender looks close too.

I have aquired an old 7mm Lima 4F 0-6-0 and wondered if a Southern Q 0-606 can be made from it. Has any one tried this little operation?

Well that's a suprise, no relies! Don't worry, Waterloo was a law unto itself in the Victorian period. My traffic requirements are much less. The LSWR terminus at Plymouth Friary had a footbridge in a similar position and no repeaters, so I will adopt this as the basis for not modelling them. Will try to ask something a little less weird in future!

On the LSWR it would appear that some of the early Adams engines of the late 1870s were much heavier that the Civil Engineer allowed. The 46 class 4-4-0t had the weight diagram @doctored@ so it read less than the loco's actual weight!.

Hi guys, I have another weird question on signalling. My new layout is set in 1885 and is of the proposed LSWR terminus at South Kensington. At Waterloo old station, pre. 1900. there were signal repeaters halfway down the main platforms 1 to 4. Like at Waterloo I have a footbridge halfway down the platform. The LSWR split it's fixed carriage rakes on suburban trains for off peak services. These short sets would, on the model have the footbridge in front of the engine, obscuring the platform starters. I may want to hold two short trains in one platform. Question 1 The platform starter has the distant mounted on it. Would both arms be duplicated on the repeating signal? Question 2 At Waterloo, with its original low roof, these were suspender from the beams. My model has a much higher roof and would require the signals to be platform mounted. Presumably these would need some form or gate and railings to keep the public off them? I think i have seen something like this on a GWR station, Would iron railings and a gate look right? Am about to sort out some track work over the weekend!

Oh dear, this isn't getting me far! If the layout goes to shows, then my name will appear in the brochure. The same applies if it appears in the modelling press. I suppose that if both are done then I needn't worry about the web? However it seems more personal, and immediate. The layout is intended to go to shows though.

I am currently starting a new layout, and inspired by blogs such as Blue lightening,s Oakhill layout I was thinking of doing the same. Probably the usual thing, showing progress on the project My only problem, being new to all this computer stuff, is it safe. Surely in putting up a blog I would be letting people know what I have, as well as who I am. Would this invalidate any insurance ?

The Victorian cab trade got through a huge amount of horses. Their working comditions were pityful How were horses transported to london at the time/ Horse boxes would appear to have been reserved for the better equine types. I have seen photo's of military horses in cattle trucks, (officers chargers went in the horse boxes.) Were ordinary horses carried in cattle trucks too. Horses were nervous, so were the trucks sheeted? As I am modelling South Kensington, were there any horse sales in that area? A lot of horses were imported from Ireland, but i an not sureif cab hacks were frome so far away. Any thoughts? ( As you may guess I often put up weird questions like this!

Gary, Is it true that the SECR have bought out Oakhill station, as the Brighton could only provide terriers for the train services?

I have an unmade Acorn kits 24'0" full brake van. Although the kit is for a four wheeled coach, i was told that some were converted to six wheelers. Does anyone have any information on this?

I am building a low relief station building in mount board, glued to a wood framed ply backscene. It will be the rear wall to a station with an overall roof, like the LSWR Bournemouth Central. The mopdel is in o gauge. I represents a building 450'0" long and 60'0" high. (10'0" long in o gauge0 I intend to cover the basic card structure in South East Finecast's English bond sheets and add plasticard detailing. What type of glue would readers suggest to stick this down with? The brick card is vacuum formed so may cause problems with some glues. I am making thebasic structure in mountboard to save on costs, as this is a rather large building.

I am about to build some o gauge wood post signals. For strength I intend to file a taper on square section brass, in order to get the post the right size. I would like to light them. I was thinking about using square section tube. but it may be too thin to hold a taper. If it is made in solid square section, how can I wire it up?

Thanks, I will be filing down square section brass for the post soom

Wow. Many thanks for this. I will ost something on here once done, but construction may start in the Autumn. Hope I can get the 7mm one looking as good as your 4mm one! MSE do all the etches and castings in 0 gauge for this. The sighting has to be quite low as the signal is viewed through a bridge on a curve. (Actually it's to stop some numpty damaging it as the layout is dismantled after a show! Do you know what is the lowest height I can have one of the dolls? This will set the height for the other two. From the drawing attached I am guessing 4'0" from platform to the centre of the signal arm?

I have reduced the Hayling Island home bracket by 10% and it is almost correct for o gauge. The distance in height between the centre line of the dolls, with different height arms would appear to be 2'3" to 2'6^. That's going from SR and LSWR ones. Not sure if this is correct for LBSC practice though. I will take the spacing between the dolls as per the photo. Ant thoughts on this?

Thanks, I have the Southern Signals book by Mr Prior. That shows a single post drawing. I will photo copy the photo in Southern Branch Line of the short home at Hayling Island to 7mm scale and work off of that. Thinking about it, the right hand doll leading to the goods yard would have a lower height doll as it the less important route?

I am involved with the Uckfield MRC's new 7mm layout, 'Lower Shalford'. This is a terminus based on LBSCR practice, in SR days. The signals currently used are tall SR ones and are rather prone to damage. It would be nice to replace these with LBSCR wooden bracket ones. The home signal would control,(reading left to right), the bay, single platform, and goods access via the loop. I was thinking of keeping the height low, like those on Hayling Island. (Less chance of damage, and sighting under a bridge to the fiddle yard. I am assuming that it would have three dolls. A low height arm for the bay, a taller one for the main and a ringed goods arm on the third doll. Would this be the same height as the bay signal, or lower in height? Sorry I can't provide a track plan, computer skills not up to that yet! These would be lower quadrant arms of Saxby and Farmer type. As sold by MSE. Does anyone know of any drawings of the standard LBSCR bracket posts.? The posts look quite big. ( the layout was at Tinkers Park the other weekend.

Hi Kevin. I will extend your compliments to the 'Old guard' 'Bradders' has just been made President of the club. I too have enjoyed mucking around with colour differences. there was a photo in a book that showed a SECR (/) carriage in the 30s with a complete lower body side panel freshly painted, presumably after an accident. That really stood out from the rest of the faded carriage livery..

Many thanks for that. I have read somewhere that the Southern were masters at re-varnishing so stock retained its's liveries longer than other regions. Did some coaches come out of shops in un-lined olive, again I think i have read this somewhere. To throw something else in the mix, does anyone have any idea if the older carriages had Bullied lettering on Olive and if BR S prefixes were added to these numbers in Sunshine lettering? It makes an interesting mix. The Eastern region did this with Gresley shaded BR E's added to their older stock.

Hi guys, I am helping the Uckfield MRC layout 'Lower Shalford' with their stock painting.The layout has two periods, early 1930s and early1950s. We have an assortment of pre-group carriages in green. Before BR got round to repainting stock in Carmine red, what were the livery variations on SR stock? I think that some may have had BR 'S' prefix in Bullied lettering? Were any coaches turned out in the war in unlined maunsell green, if so was it in Maunsell lettering?

Many thanks, will try to contact him

I am contemplating building a LBSCR Craven 2-2-2T in O gauge and am not sure the best way to get the most power out of it. It will haul a half dozen four wheelers. Has anyone any thoughts on this?