Compound2632

The knocking-off was done by the creators of the CAD, not by you, Mike! Experiment's the word.

Someone's knocked off the Bachmann not-Thomas!

I do think 3D printing is a very interesting way forward for small-quantity production of model railway items. I'm not convinced that home printing is yet the solution for producing items to a high standard of finish - even the best commercial printers don't seem to be quite there yet. It'll be very interesting to see how you get on!

At Blea Moor, through, at Rise Hill, over. But the photos I'm looking at are of different date - 1960s, 1913 respectively. What's less clear is what happened at viaducts. Ref. Anderson & Fox, Stations and Structures of the Settle and Carlisle Railway (OPC, 1986). For the transition at the northern end of Blea Moor tunnel, see Plate 55.

Not much DJH so far...

Looking forward to this. The first Dunalastairs were Just Right. The bigger versions II - IV pushed the classic Scottish 4-4-0 concept just a little too far. 

Capping strips - they're difficult to pick out in official Gloucester photos (see the Keith Montague book) but they are pretty much universal on late 19th century open wagons - they're there on the 1887 RCH specification drawings (see the Watts Ince book) and on Midland wagons, also LNWR and L&Y wagons (ref. the standard works on those). Usually 3/8" thick. Without them the top edge of the top plank would soon be reduced to a worn splintery mess. They also serve as washer plates for the nuts on the top end of the vertical rods that pass through the sheeting planks half-way between the side knees and end corner plates - a feature visible in that Midland drawing; the nuts can sometimes be made out in Gloucester photos. I would expect them to be painted black when the rest of the ironwork was black but I'm not convinced that's what the Gloucester photos show. My own 4 mm wagons are generally deficient on this point (along with interior detail in general...)

The author of that book is on here - he's been very generous in his contributions to my wagon-building thread.

Without seeing it in the flesh it's hard to tell but I do wonder if it might be found a bit overpowering - how would it look with a bit of scale reduction, say down to 3.5 mm/ft? - 3 mm/ft might be pushing it a bit too far. It's a shame you haven't got greater depth to play with.

Contemporary Glasgow tenements are that lovely red colour. In the 60s/70s they were black. What colour were they back at the beginning of the 20th century, when maybe 30 - 40 years old rather than 90 - 100?

You're not going to like me for saying this but the Ratio Iron Mink is much improved if you cut about 1 mm off the top edge all the way round before assembly.

Mind you, I have done this operation on a pre-assembled one!

I've been enjoying your Lilleshall topic but have only just discovered your blog - I've been admiring the pre-Grouping wagons in particular. (Not that the BR period models aren't splendid, just not what really gets me going!) What date are you aiming for for the pre-Group period?

This seems like a well-researched estimate of consumption: 1 ton per person per year for domestic use. 

Here's coal-stacking for industrial use. Note how the walls of the stack are built up using larger lumps of coal. I suspect using bagged coal to build up the walls of the stack came later than your period. What would be the optimum height for a stack? Level with the wagon top or the wagon floor? Anyway, my personal view is that your coal yard would have stacks, not heaps.

By flitched frames I take it you mean solebars reinforced with an iron or steel plate? - hence the lack of crown plates etc. 

McIntosh's patent brake looks like a variant of the Dean-Churchward brake, acting on one side only but operable from either side. Presumably it too fell foul of the BoT rulings that (a) the brake lever should always be at the RH end of the wagon, as viewed from the side you're looking at it (pardon the Irishism), and (b) you shouldn't be able to release the brake from the opposite side to that on which you applied it. 

And Mikkel, how can you be so rude? I suspect Great Western anxiety at the thought of the Midland's surrogate interloper in its territory. Engines in the true S&DJR blue livery had blue not red valences and yellow-black-yellow not white-black-white lining; the S&DJR Nellie had plain black valences. I will not pass judgement but only say that the Caledonian's livery was very fine, though Scotland had some rather nice green engines too. 

Thanks! Why aren't there "thanks" / "informative" etc. buttons for comments on blog posts?

The white tyre rim thing is a puzzle. It seems to have been common practice amongst the private builders too - most Gloucester C & W Co. wagons at this period have them in the official photos. One could understand if it was being done for wagons being photographed but it seems to have been standard practice. For your wagons, it's not just a Hurst Nelson thing either as you say it's part of the Caledonian's specification.

Caley modellers are really well-served by the enterprise of their Association.

A question on livery, which I'm sure is answered in the relevant Crassoc books. I've gathered that ironwork was painted black. Logically, this would lead to the solebars, headstocks and end pillars of these steel-framed wagons being black?

Also, I note on the fixed end a row of three sheeting rings along the bottom plank. This seems unusual for a mineral wagon, as I presume this diagram is from its end door.

Please excuse these questions arising from ignorance of the Caley but driven by curiosity about wagon construction in general!

The Igors would be proud of you.

Nothing like a spot of wagon building.

At this period - early 80s, I can recall WCML trains made up of Mk 2d/e/f FO and TSOs with a Mk 3 buffet and Mk 1 BG - but this was in the Lune valley so possibly going via the Trent Valley rather than Brum. In the late 80s the Bournemouth-Manchester trains were Mk 1 BG / Mk 2d/e/f FO / Mk 1 RB / 3 or 4? x Mk 2d/e/f TSO / Mk 2d/e/f BSO. I used to aim for the Sussex Scot from Oxford to Brum - taking care to sit in the Edinburgh portion, which tended to be more salubrious. I can't recall how these were made up or whether there was first class accommodation in both portions. 47s south of Brum of course, though some may have changed engines at Coventry?

In the context of model gas lamps, the limiting factor is probably the bore of the tube or nozzle - there's likely to be a minimum at which adequate gas flow can be maintained. Molecules don't scale.

Your attempt at psychological manipulation may lead me to doubt my own sanity...

Very nice. Looking at the plastic tube plug-ins set me wondering: could you actually pipe in gas? You might have to move away from PVC for the glazing, though... Maybe in a larger scale.

Redolent of the blue railway of my youth... 70s north Birmingham captured, I won't say beautifully.

D299 noted and approved!

I do like the way the kit says "for O gauge"! Do you have to push the wheels out on the axles just a fraction if modelling in S7? (BTW which standards are you working to? I've lost track, so to speak.)

As Barry O says. An opportunity to create a silk purse out of a sow's ear - I'm sure there were modellers managing to do that back in the day!