Tortuga

I was thinking of trying my luck fishing in the Bay of E’s, but then I wasn’t aware there was a kit… I’m sure it’s come up before, but what was the water actually used for? I’d always assumed for the locos, but I’m sure I’ve seen reference made to the tenders only being removed from traffic to Alsop once water mains were laid.

Cheers for the offer Jay, but having finally got around to digging out the photo of the water tender at Alsop, the caption helpfully provided all the details! I’ve now added a 1800 gallon Webb six-wheel tender to my “needed” list. Would I be right in thinking this is the type of tender usually found behind a ‘Super D’?

That looks the business! The tanks look just right too.

^^^ What he said.

What era are you modelling Jay? If early BR, I think the LMS needs to be a touch more faded than present. I fully appreciate that you’re not done weathering it yet, so feel free to ignore!

They do nowadays. Usually an electric light similar to a bolt-on reversing light for a car. In your period, I dunno, but if they did, I’d imagine a oil lamp maybe? Edit: For clarity, none of the narrowboats I’ve spent time on had navigation lights, but all have a lamp at the front. Lez replied halfway through my initial post and it looks like I’m answering him.

They look really good Jay! On the down side, you’ve reminded me I need to look up the photo of the water tender in the yard at Alsop - I’ve a feeling it’s not one of these though.

Apologies for not answering your query before now @Graham T. @57xxis quite right; I used the BLGVB on my minerals due to the shape of the V hanger. BLGVA has a triangular V hanger more suited to earlier PO wagons as @57xxsaid, while BLGVB has a V hanger with vertical top parts as per post-1923 wagons.

I think Masokits also does etched brass brake levers, but I’ve no idea what they are like. I’ve had an etch of door springs of him, which look pretty good and I think Geoff Kent used his brake levers as replacements for plastic ones in “The 4mm Wagon” series. I can dig out my copy of his price list and check if you like?

I used 51L brass brake levers (available from Wizard Models) to replace the plastic offerings on my Parkside minerals: Each etch has four V hangers (two inner and two outer), four safety straps, two lever guards, two levers and the parts to make up a Morton cam (including a spare cam!). I replaced the safety straps, V hanger, brake lever and lever guard on all my mineral wagons (and will continue with the rest of my wagon kits), but there’s no reason you couldn’t use just the brake levers. One pack has five etches so does five wagons and they do packs for different wheel bases. You have to bend up the lever and guard using fine pliers, but it’s quite easy if a touch fiddly. The instructions regarding the Morton cam do take a bit of interpretation as they seem to contradict themselves, but otherwise I’ve found them pretty comprehensive.

I’d say, yes, it should. It’s a steam outline shunting loco. Low speed, gentle starts, gentle stops. I’ll stick my neck out and say most people would be getting one for use on small shunting layouts or in yards where those features are a requirement. But this isn’t just one loco from one manufacturer we’re talking about. Rob listed six different locos from different manufacturers all of which were brand new, the majority of which he experienced running issues with and all of which had quality control issues - in some cases on more than one model. If I pay for a brand new quality product, I expect it to be a quality product that performs as advertised.

I don’t think so. If I pay £100-£200 for a locomotive, I expect it to work faultlessly. It should set off and come to a stop smoothly and should be quiet straight out of the box. I’d even argue there should be no need for running in. I thought these models were supposed to be used on model railway layouts where they need to set off and stop smoothly. It’s all very well them being super detailed, but if they’re incapable of being used as intended, there’s no point in them having a working chassis.

I’m not sure, but I remember reading somewhere, ages ago, that gloss paint doesn’t scale down so looks wrong in smaller scales unless you’re trying to replicate something that is wet. I’m sure the artists on here could elaborate? @MrWolf? @Gedward? So to replicate a brand new shiny locomotive fresh from the paint shop, a satin finish would be best. Anything else should have a matt finish.

Ah, but we’re the rollers of equal length? Probably to within an inch or so, give or take, but certainly not to the nth degree of a millimetre that you get yourself hung up over. That rod looks amazing. The rollers look to be roughly equal lengths with slightly rounded ends and the gaps between them are more or less the same - exactly what you’d expect of several lengths of wood, similar lengths, strung on a bit of rope, after a few years use, exposed to the elements and hard work. I suspect you wouldn’t get the same effect with lengths of insulation on a wire (wouldn’t they have squared off ends from cutting?) and they’d probably end up looking like short lengths of plastic on a wire. Try a test length and compare it and if you thinks it looks better, use that instead. Don’t beat yourself up over not thinking of it; isn’t that why we post our work on here in the first place? To show off what we’ve done, get advice for things we struggle with and pick up possible alternative ideas?

Sadly, I have no blue water experience (although I have visited The Blue Lagoon in Iceland twice) and my ‘nautical experience’ is limited to rare sailing small dinghies; kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding and surfing coastal waters; and terrorising the canals of Britain.

For a few minutes there I thought you were referring to the suspension dampeners and got a bit worried! Good luck on your travels and take extra care unloading. The gas struts for the rear hatch on one of the Hiluxes at work are ****** and, despite knowing this, both myself and my colleague had the hatch smack us in the back of our heads when opening the tailgate. Hard hats are wonderful things…

Wow! Excellent job Chris!

Excellent news on the health front and always a pleasure to see progress on Derwent Spa!

Ah! Yep. Now I know where to look and what I’m looking for, I can check my prototype photos and see if they are the same type of coach - not that it’ll help identify the type of coach!

I’m interested in what the coaches are too. I really struggle to identify differences with coaches - they all look the same to me! These look similar (to my untrained eye) to ones that appear occasionally in photos of the passenger services on the Buxton to Ashbourne line, hence my interest. Apologies for what’s probably a stupid question, but why do you say they’re panelled? It might be because I’m getting the photo in red and black, but I’m seeing smooth sides, unless “panelled” refers to something other than I understood it to?

Interesting. In both those photos the traces are clearly straight (at least in the vertical plane, they do follow the curve of the horse in the horizontal plane*); I wonder if it’s the length of your mock up that’s making me think it’s not quite right? Since it seems reality is in favour of straight traces, I’d say good work and forget my daft idea about cutting the tube. I only suggested it to help form a curve that’s not actually there! (*apologies for this; I couldn’t think how best to describe what I meant, but reading it back, it comes across a bit know-it-all?)

Really mad suggestion; could you cut the tube into short sections to represent the wooden rollers (?) and introduce a slight curve to the wire? As it is, it looks too straight to my eye - the horse’s harnesses in Schooners first photo isn’t being pulled dead straight (taut) even though the horse is actually pulling. Your horse looks to be ambling along rather than pulling hard, so I’d expect the harness to be straightish (with a slight curve to the tow rope), but not “taut straight” as if he was putting all his effort in.

Excellent work sir!

Eventually, a 3’ section to extend the yard including the goods shed and the crossover of the loop and a 1’ section beyond the overbridge to act as a fiddle siding. I want to get the inglenook section finished first though.

Cheers Jay! It looks a bit hotpotch and piebald at the moment, but once I get the facia on it’ll look a lot better. That’s a looooooong way off though - I’ll probably have the extension boards completed before the facia gets fitted!