Dave John

Well, the electric organ blower I described replaced a water engine, dated I think mid 1880s. Very little engineering data exists, though it appears to have been a water turbine driving a fan situated 120 foot up in the church tower. What I know for sure is the supply pipe was 3 inch cast iron. 

Now, if you went to a water company these days and suggested connecting a 3 inch pipe to a water main , letting the water flow up, round a turbine and then down to drain they would kinda have a fit. Can you imagine how much water /hour that would need? 

One thing that I regret, I have seen so much historic engineering over the years and digital cameras came too late to record it all. 

Many years ago one of my more obscure jobs was to restore a blower for a Willis organ.

Four foot diameter centrifugal fan powered by a monster of an open frame motor, dated 1905. You could put your hand in and adjust the brush gear while it was running. The whole thing was stripped  in situ, taken down 80 foot of spiral stairs. All the bits refurbed, motor rebuilt, then taken back up and reassembled in situ.

Runs like a dream now. 

Well, to be pedantic the 439 class has is roots in designs by both Drummond and partly Lambie. 

The first McIntosh version was the 19 class (1895) followed by the 92 class. (1897-1900) . Both were condensing engines built for working the tunnels of the Glasgow Central Railway. 

The 439 Class (1900 -1914) was essentially a 92 class without the condensing apparatus. 

That said, I think that an M7 might well make a good starting point, particularly in N, if the cab and bunker can be narrowed to fit the mechanism. 

On a practical note is it one of the self assembly type bookcases? 

If so would it be possible to disassemble it and turn the shelf round or upside down so the damage can't be seen? 

Just a thought. 

That is the same sound module I used for my ambient sound project. 

Next to the speaker terminals is a small socket for a 3,5 mm plug , so any small speaker with a built in amp will do. 

Typically;

https://www.amazon.co.uk/AmazonBasics-Computer-Speakers-Desktop-AC-Powered/dp/B07D94Z3JH/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=speakers+with+jack+plug&qid=1668179561&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

The Belgian class 30 showed a lot of CR influence, but it was a local design, longer wb and boiler. 

DJH still sell the kit for the small jumbo. 

Make sure you can't fall on anything nasty when you see the price.

Hmm. 

So you want locos that can couple or uncouple anywhere on a layout at the touch of a button?

Absolute control with even fewer wires than just the two for DCC, or er,  simple DC ? 

Never want to clean the track again ? 

Ability to negociate 600 mm radius curves ? 

Easily removed bodies so you can swap the magnetic drivers about ad nauseam ? 

No trailing wires between the body and the chassis? 

Fully open cabs with no bits of loco in them to spoil the view ? 

Working buffers ? 

Oh, and since folk are feeling the pinch all of that for under 100 quid ? 

Ok, only a very daft modeller would think all that is possible. But then again, I am very daft........ 

I appreciate it won't be to everyones taste but sometimes you have to ignore convention and just go back to basics. 

An elegant photo of the twin trap at Brechin, together with the signal diagram showing how it was operated was discussed on the CRA forums recently. 

https://www.crassoc.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1877

Interesting to model given that it is built on interleaved sleepering.

The ones used by the Caledonian Railway were 1' 6"  long. 

I can't say whether or not that is typical. 

I really like this, something very different and well modelled. 

I fancy having a go with something involving catenary one day, those steeplecabs are very appealing. 

Agreed Western Star , the basic deals would be finished to size locally so would probably be off saw finish for transport as shown. 

There used to be a firm out in the east end with a similar machine to that one, I had custom floorboards and door mouldings run to match the existing victorian ones for a few restoration projects. Gone now unfortunately. 

The silhouette certainly will Spamcan. 

What you could do is use the cutter to create accurate templates. These can then be stuck to the reverse side of the heavy material and used as a cutting guide. 

I also use that technique for cutting shapes from brass sheet. 

So, the future...... 

Really fantastic rtr will require robots with massive ai skills to assemble, and those will be really expensive robots. 

So expensive that most normal humans will never be able to afford these fantastic rtr models .

But these robots are tireless, they will make lots of fantastic expensive rtr that the humans will never be able to afford to buy.....

Not only that, robots with fantastic ai will be able to make whole layouts. detailed to the nth rivet. On which to run all the unaffordable rtr. 

So, er. That will divide the railway modelling community into Two. The very few incredibly rich who can afford to employ robots , and those of us who forego lifes comforts to buy a few sheets of brass and scratchbuild stuff. 

Nihilistic ? Maybe but I have a solution. Build an enjoyment of model railways into the AI of all the robots. So all of them go home at night and build ever more detailed and complex model railways for themselves, after all the wages they get for making the stuff will let them do so. 

Since ever more robots will demand ever more models with almost infinite livery variations the market becomes self sustaining, until all humans are gone and the earth is swamped in a vast morass  of super detailed model railways run by robots who just love model railways........... 

In Scotland the allowance for loss of earnings is only awarded if you attend. I'm self employed. Five times I have been cited as a juror, each time I have done the phone sunday after five, not wanted, phone again monday after five etc through till thursday night. Since I had told customers I would not be available and couldn't book work  in at short notice or start a job I might not be able to finish these were weeks with no income. 

For a self employed person with no spare financial capacity it can be very damaging. 

The age exemption for jury service is 71 in Scotland Stewart, may be different elsewhere. 

Might well be of this type;

https://www.flickr.com/photos/callysleeperkid/13126703805/in/pool-midlandrailwaycentre

Looks like the remnants of a horse box to me. 

Been watching this develop. 

How about extending the siding at Doughton Abbey a bit and giving it an end loading dock? The proximity of a stately home would give a reason for some interesting stock. Their Lordships off on holiday sort of thing,  Perhaps a family saloon, a carriage truck and horse box for road transport, a couple of coaches for staff and baggage. 

Good excuse to run some hired in stock from almost anywhere.

Agreed Mick, I have only used the djh box on one loco, since that was the only loco I have built in which it would fit. Also it was a good number of years ago before HL started, so the choice was limited. Since then I have used HL boxes with reasonable success. 

The Toms trains video was good. The one thing he didn't mention (though might have done) is once the frames are soldered up they need a good scrub to shift any flux residue. 

Hmm, the way things are going it might well end up with us lot sitting in a UK factory assembling model trains for an increasingly affluent Chinese market. 

Interesting ideas rekoboy. 

I have been playing with some metre gauge stuff, albeit in a bigger scale. We both came up with a 4 plank dropside with end platforms too. 

Just to mention another source for wheels Lacathedrale. I have used the 51L / Wizard coach and wagon wheels for EM for years, they run fine for me. 

Hmm. 

Is it actually important? One day I shall be a dead modelmaker. I have enjoyed building many models. I have enjoyed sharing my experiences with friends via visits and the internet.  That matters. 

But I know that I might be turfed out of here in which case Kelvinbank will go. My rearguard action is to scratchbuild in 1/50 scale. A pic. 

The problem is that a loco like that is essentially worthless. RTR in a box might have some value but the rest is just some old guy playing with toy trains. 

Instructions ? Nobody has taken a scrap of notice of instructions I have written for stacks of electrical systems I have written during my long engineering life, the idea of anyone taking notice of  instructions for disposal of my "toy trains" when I'm dead is just unrealistic. 

Sorry to be brutal, but thats life. 

A couple, more atmosphere than detail . Kelvinbridge, West end of Glasgow,  early 1960s,

Those are actually stacks of coal higher than the wagon sides in the second pic.  Real urban coal.  

SHMD, note another trap within a point. This yard was in a tight urban location, the "headshunt" was the main line in the tunnel behind the photographer.