ecgtheow

No Tony I didn't make it. It's way beyond my competence. If I remember correctly it was made many years ago by someone working for Bournemouth Model Railway Centre,which I had contracted to build it. I have only ever built 2 model locos both about 40 years ago - an MPD MR 3F now replaced by the much better Bachmann models & a Craftsman MR 0-4-4T.The latter isn't too bad a model, but that may be because someone else painted it very well in MR livery. I look forward to receiving the new more or less equivalent Bachmann model to compare it with. William

Well here's one that has been seen previously on Wright Writes in response to exactly the same challenge as is being made now. It works!

This is a bit late to the party, but "Yes" what about US designers? I don't know who designed the NYC Niagara S1b 4-8-4 steam locos but Alco built them in 1945 & they came to be considered as one of the most efficient steam locomotives ever, though like the BR 9Fs they too were a bit late to the party as the diesels took over in the USA. Nevertheless with 6,000 hp they ran for long stretches at 100 mph initially on New York to Chicago (928 miles) trains 6 days a week covering 26,000 miles a month. The NYC conducted very well executed tests comparing them against 2-unit & 3-unit E7 diesels & found that the overall costs were less than for the 2-unit E7s & the same as for the 3-unit E7s. William

Many thanks to the 3 knowledgeable Wright Writes contributors, who have responded so swiftly. There is a saying along the lines of "you don't see what you weren't looking for". In this case that applies to me in spades if not "No Trumps" (if only that were the case), because I have Dow Vol 3 & there it is - just the sort of photo we were looking for on p146. William

I thought that I had posted this on Wright Writes, as there are many real experts on the subject on this blog, but found that it had been placed in Kitbuilding & Scratchbuilding with no responses so far. I hope it's OK to post it again here, as this was where it was intended to reach those who would be knowledgeable on the subject? "This is a request for someone, who will need to be a real "expert" on the prototype & ideally also on building the Perseverance 4mm scale GCR clerestory full brake kit. It will make a change from "Sam's Trains" videos on YouTube! Not being the best, or anywhere near the best builder of brass kits, though I did build a goods van reasonably successfully on an HMRS course, I gave the Perseverance kit of a GCR clerestory full brake to a friend, who is a very good modeller, to build. He is very frustrated with this kit especially as there is no photo or drawing with the kit. I think that I remember someone on this blog writing about these kits, but having searched RMweb failed to find any useful information. I did find some information by Steve Banks on the web & reference to an article he wrote for BRM in 1988 & have bought a copy of that edition on eBay, but would be very grateful if the GCR experts, who seem to be numerous on Wright Writes, could produce or indicate where we might find a photo & drawing of this coach & any experience they had building the Perseverance kit of it." William

This is a request from someone, who will need to be a real "expert" on the prototype & ideally also on building the Perseverance 4mm scale GCR clerestory full brake kit. It will make a change from "Sam's Trains" videos on YouTube! Not being the best, or anywhere near the best builder of brass kits, though I did build a goods van reasonably successfully on an HMRS course, I gave the Perseverance kit of a GCR clerestory full brake to a friend, who is a very good modeller, to build. He is very frustrated with this kit especially as there is no photo or drawing with the kit. I think that I remember someone on this blog writing about these kits, but having searched RMweb failed to find any useful information. I did find some information by Steve Banks on the web & reference to an article he wrote for BRM in 1988 & have bought a copy of that edition on eBay, but would be very grateful if the GCR experts, who seem to be numerous on Wright Writes, could produce a photo & drawing of this coach & any experience they had building the Perseverance kit of it. William

Far from it! My layout has, or will shortly have the track layout of Thetford Bridge station & sidings (GER) to scale with bullhead rail, but will run in different periods with appropriate stock; pre-grouping GER/M&GN/GNR/MR/LNWR; LNER; BR early, but now & again the New York Central steam era will take over the rails only to be supplanted by the Deutsche Bahn/SBB Swiss Railways steam era & sometimes by the New South Wales Government Railway. You can discern that I like variety, which may have something to do with the "Trains of the World" book I was given as a kid & the fact that my grandfather was an engine driver for the LNWR. Could anything be worse for our purist friends? William

My view is that that there are at least some old model railway magazines that are worth keeping as an inspiration, a word that I have used before to explain why I read this forum. My best example is MRJ No. 13 published in 1987 which celebrates the work of George Iliffe Stokes as well as other interesting articles. Incidentally there are lots of photos perhaps not surprising given the need to illustrate the scenes he created, but there are quite a few others too even if they are all B + W & rather blurred. I don't think that his grouping of buildings to create a realistic atmosphere has been surpassed even the though modern masters are technically better using superior construction materials & methods. Here is an example William

Having read through many recent posts I agree with what Clive implies by "Reading some of today's post I have been wondering where we were going?". Respect for others should always be paramount among members of any forum, but is seems to be slipping. There are just too many prickly responses followed by apologies that whatever was written it wasn't intended to offend. We all have different likes & dislikes, we all see the world real & model differently, we all have or lack competences that others excel in. My competence levels are low compared to most on this forum. I read it to learn & often marvel at what others achieve. For me it's generally been an inspiration, but it hasn't inspired me much recently. Let's adopt the dictum "Each to their own",which has been referred to recently & think more about how others may react before writing anything. William

I may be one of the lucky ones for whom Derek Johnson built 3 M&GNR locos & one GNR loco in pre-grouping liveries about 20-25 years ago, when I ordered them from Norman Wisenden. Please ask Derek & if he did build them let him know that they are still going strong! William

Many thanks to all who have responded. I will go with the Cambrian bogies as they are 1.piece & should support this very heavy wagon with less risk of breaking. William

I recently bought what I think is a WW1 warflat wagon on eBay, but it arrived with 1 broken & 1 bent bogie. If possible I would like to replace the damaged bogies with new ones. Can anyone let me know where I can buy such bogies, please? William

Well I hesitate to show what I have made during lockdown because it's really not very much. Most of my spare time & there hasn't been much has been spent completing all the baseboards for my new layout & laying but not yet wiring, which I hate, about half of the fiddle yard. However, I have made a few Slaters MR open wagons of different types, but they are not yet painted so not worth showing, but I have made this LCUT model of a GNR signal box. It's probably only painted because it seemed obvious that it would be better done before rather than after assembly. I think it's a good kit, but a word of warning: the instructions state that this wood kit can be painted with either enamels or acrylics. Using the latter seemed to be asking for trouble "warping" & that's exactly what happened when I used acrylics on a test piece. William

Totally agree with this. You have hit the nail on the head, though perhaps a book on coach consists for the major pre-grouping companies would sell? I would certainly be interested & there were quite a lot os shared running powers in that era so it might well interest others even if there main focus is a single pre-grouping company? William

I recently bought a kit for this loco on eBay but it was without instructions. Having read about building this kit by other contributors to this forum I asked them if they still had the instructions, which they could scan & e-mail to me. Unfortunately none so far still had the instructions, so I am writing now to ask if anyone else has the instructions, which they could scan & e-mail to me, please. From what I have read it seems I will need them! William (ecgtheow)

Another contributor has probably already suggested it, but I would recommend testing the locos you intend to use on the layout with different loads on a small section say one turn of the maximum radius helix you can fit on your layout before committing to a helix. What I have suggested is quite easy to using blocks of wood of different sizes as you can easily move them around to see what gradient your trains will climb or start on. I have done this twice: once about 20 years ago on a layout of Wassen on the Gotthard line that I was building for my young son with 3 helices of 22“ radius (using Maerklin set track rather than flexitrack) in a room 17' X 14'. The steam locos were Maerklin & most had no problem with the longest passenger & goods trains planned to run on the layout so all the helices were completed, but then I accepted that my young son had almost zero interest in model railways & we moved house shortly afterwards anyway. More recently I have been building a much smaller 009 layout of of the Darjeeling & Himalaya Railway & found that a Backwoods Miniatures Class B 0-4-0 tank could only pull 2 brass DHR bogie coaches up a 12“ helix, but 3 if I increased the radius to 14“. I hope that helps. William

Many thanks to both of you. I will certainly investigate Silver Tray. The problem with waiting is that I am in my 70s so waiting too long means perhaps I won't be around when Narrow Planet are ready to make etches for me agin! Regards, William

In 2012 I bought name & number plates for a DHR Class B 0-4-0 tank from either Narrow Planet or Guilplates (see the draft sketches below) & now need the same again for another Class B loco & a Class C pacific, but I can't remember which company I bought them from. I asked both companies in April at the height of the Covid pandemic first peak & understandably the etchers for both were closed so neither company was forthcoming. They probably had no idea when they would be trading again. I asked Narrow Planet, who previously had standard DHR name & number plates on their website, again recently but they are not taking orders again until next year & probably won't start supplying any custom etched stuff until much later. Can anybody identify another source for the number & name plates I need, please?

Tony, You are a bit if a stickler for correct usage of language so it's fair to point out that you probably meant "financial" rather than "fiscal" restrictions & resources even though any reader would know what you meant. Fiscal is to do with taxation. William

Tony, That's very kind. I will send you a PM. Thanks, William

I hope you don't mind me asking, but is the cream & blue signal box scratch built or made from a kit? If it's from a kit, what make of kit is it. I need one almost exactly like this for my little layout. Thanks, William