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Regularity

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Everything posted by Regularity

  1. That’s actually two separate, independent cylinders in a single centrally-pivoted casing, and not drive at each end of a single piston in a single cylinder.
  2. We may be at cross purposes: I thought you were referring to some arrangement as depicted in Velopeur’s picture, albeit with a single piston in the cylinder, but piston rods at both ends. Yes, there is power applied in both directions of the piston stroke, but there is a limit to the amount of power being transmitted, whether it is conveyed to the wheels by a single piston rod, or by double ended rods, due to physical laws.As with coupled wheels versus single drivers, the amount of power transmitted by the piston in the cylinder through the piston rod is fixed by pressure, area, volume, etc, but the reason for having more wheels connected to each other is not to increase the power output (you can’t) but to improve the number of contact points with the rail, increasing the total adhesion and decreasing the risk of slipping (and of breaking rails due to axle loads). If you look at the formula for calculating tractive effort, there is no reference made to number of wheels. Partly that, but a flywheel also serves to smooth out the pulses from a single cylinder, and to help prevent the piston stopping dead centre (why we have “quartering” with two or more cylinders) by keeping things ticking over: traction engines usually have a clutch early on in the transmission chain, so that the drive is disconnected from the cylinder, along with using gears to change direction. The energy stored in the big flywheel is sufficient to overcome any “stiction” when starting, otherwise the traction engine would stall - and stick on dead centre - whenever a load was applied.I am not sure I would call single cylinder traction engines fitted with a big flywheel “crude”, though. They are actually quite sophisticated solutions to the problems inherent in single-cylinder double-acting piston engines.
  3. ‘Rocket’, that precursor of the modern steam locomotive, had its cylinders to the rear of the drivers. Not sure of the benefit: the power will be the same, just shared between the two (sets of) driven wheels, just as by using coupling rods.
  4. Although it doesn’t massively affect us as modellers - we model what is there - it is worth remembering that the lettering was largely hidden under grime, or barely there. The key fact was that there had been no repainting and hence no new lettering/crest/herald applied. What you see in the photos is usually not the original lettering, but the work of an enthusiast with some chalk, tracing out the original line of the lettering and then shading it in. I doubt the real lettering was ever that bright!
  5. If that isn’t a potential euphemism, I don’t know what is!
  6. Also, as it is real, it isn’t imaginary...
  7. Or a horse is a camel designed by a committee...
  8. Foul smelling at both ends? Can only pass through the eye of a needle with the help of an industrial grade blender, or a vey big needle? They chop up bits of their hooves and roll them into cigarettes?
  9. I tell you, things are getting tough in the queue for RailWells...
  10. It’s disgusting, isn’t it? I mean, noticing something of architectural interest in the background. Anyone would think this was a thread about something serious. Next thing we know, someone will mention model railways, and then where will we be?
  11. Also look at the North West Short Line catalogue: http://www.nwsl.com/nwsl-online-catalog.html
  12. No. You are reading that into it. Because the majority of people aren’t prepared to pay for the true cost of this.I am frankly amazed that the core 00 model is only £170, and that you can get one with P4 or EM wheels fitted, and a simply superb Zimo DCC module including a super cap, for not much more than £300. As for cheaper models, my personal attitude is that as long as it is dimensionally accurate, the rest can be dealt with and this is what makes it a “personal” model and different from all the others. I will recount a bizarre conversation I had with someone at my then local club in the early 90s, who was complaining about the poor running quality of his collection of 30 Lima class 37s compared to their continental outline offerings. I asked him much they cost. The 37s were about 20 quid, but the continental ones cost about 30 quid. “Well, there’s your issue,” I said. “You can have 20 well running models with a central can motor and gear towers at £30 each, or you can have 30 models based around the terrible pancake motor at £20 each. Same total of £600.” “But I want 30 engines at £20 each, with the continental-specification central can and gear towers.” There’s nothing in the world I could say to that, as if someone lives in cloud cuckoo land, the most you can do get them to see a psychiatrist, so that the latter can collect the rent. Quite, but I now understand your point of view: you can make these changes, you’ve just got fed up with doing them - and you are obviously prepared to pay more for a good model.It’s not like you’ve never tried, and never succeeded.
  13. I remember (and I wish I couldn’t) a friend ruefully commenting that his fiancée had told him, “It might be the longest I’ve seen, but it certainly isn’t the thickest.” Possibly my first experience of humble bragging. But as you should know, it’s girth and not length which counts... What was it the adverts used to say, “Ribbed for extra pleasure”? I am not that old.Although in my student days, when I wore a rainmac, the semblance was frequently commented upon.
  14. No. They are not at the pinnacle of modelling. They are at the pinnacle of production for 4mm scale diesels. There is nothing wrong with that, but buying something which is frankly as good as it gets is not modelling. It is purchasing.
  15. I get the point that manufacturers could make more effort to get things right, and that some things really shouldn’t need to be corrected, and could they at least get the. Basic proportions right, but we are where we are: some things could still be improved. And in those circumstances, not putting it right isn’t finescale modelling. Just adopting a correct to scale track gauge does not make a model finescale. If you can, get hold of a copy of the January 1975 Railway Modeller, and read Cyril Freezer’s opening part of “Proprietary to Scale”. He writes eloquently on the meaning of the word “scale” in the context of toy manufacturers 100 years or so ago. He laments that true word “authentic” was not used instead as an adjective to “model”. And he makes the point that “fine scale” is meaningless unless you interpret the word “scale” in the manner he does: “not a toy”. In this context, “finescale” means “closer/greater/finer authenticity”. The Scalefour Society used to have a slogan, “It’s not all about wheels and track” and that is as true now as it was then. The most convincing 4mm scale model I have seen of a class 26 was/is Steve Flint’s remarkable conversion of a Lima class 33, running on Kyle of Tongue. And that was 00. Anyway, I didn’t say it wasn’t finescale. I said it was not modelling, merely creating a setting for a collection of bought trains. It is a reducio ad absurdum point about when does buying cease to be be part of modelling, and replaces it? If you are not prepared to improve something which falls short, then you have five other choices: Go without; Only buy things which are already perfect, so you will mostly be going without; Pay someone else to do it for you; Wait until a manufacturer does this; or Follow Phil Sutton’s example, and make a significant investment in getting them produced. Back to the main point. You are clearly a talented and capable modeller, and your latest project is to P4 standards, so why do you think that, given the current lack of a perfect P4 ready class 26, you can’t or won’t do a bit of modelling to get things up to standard? Not having a go at you. I am genuinely surprised and perplexed by your reaction to the suggestion that having a Sutton class 24 provides a challenging target for detailing something else. I am obviously not the only person who was surprised.
  16. Even I, with “Smut” as my middle name, is going to refrain from going down (ooer, missus!) that path...
  17. Wow. How long was that passenger train standing in the station? Very nice photos.
  18. Did Mullie mean “too much information” when he rated your post?
  19. Then it wouldn’t be modelling, just collecting and making a nice setting.
  20. I believe your wife has a different opinion on the matter...
  21. Although in England, we do also have our own eccentric alternatives: Emily Fazakerly
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