FoxUnpopuli

Fake Stanier 2-10-2T.

Yes, and here's a drawing of it. It is indeed an 8F 3C boiler, valves, cylinders and front truck, with enlarged tanks and bunker similar to the 2-6-4T. I want one. Plenty of numbers left over in the 7000 region... drawing suggests almost exactly the same hauling power as the 8F. I can also see why they didn't fly - that's a long old tail to wag, both side-to-side and up and down. Onto further fantasy, with the drivers only being that big, I can also imagine a 2-10-2 version of this... a possible true LMS successor to Big Bertha, especially if it had 3 or four cylinders?..

Not wishing to hijack this thread, but honourable Father and I are starting this journey too. Can anyone (@jamespetts) comment on further on the Digitrax/Loconet option, as used on the McKinley Railway? (lots of explanations on their YouTube.)

He's not punched anyone yet... he's asking the question again because reading the thread through, no-one's actually answered it. You came close: "I personally think that there are only 2 options, for both hardware and software that could be as cheap as around £350 for software and command station up to £1000 for another option with my preferred option sitting at around £450." And he replied: "I'd mentally budgeted around £500 for controller and software. I'd like a workable solution, but not a Rolls Royce of one." Then @jamespetts also came close by saying he went LocoNet (implying Digitrax hardware?) but then also said he was only partway through his journey. @WIMorrison: What do the 3 combinations you mention (£350, £450 preferred, and £1000) actually consist of, to get @Wordsmithsome coherent recommendations on the baseboard, so to speak?

Great stuff Ian. I also enjoyed your 4F detailing thread - I have purchased, er, one or two (or five) to stock up my Bournville (Bromsgrove/Saltley) shed. I'm looking forward to making them look a bit more realistic.

Just enough so it's clear - probably 200dpi would do. 300dpi better. Ahhh, I remember the days when I volunteered on the SVR... that would be, er... nearly thirty years ago now. Scary.

Sounds alright to me. I'm a rather more pragmatic modeller. I believe anyone who models in OO has a get out of jail free card anyhow. I'd dearly love to go full bore P4 on a garden railway, but would you like to solder up that much track? I'd have an embolism, I'm not that patient. Excellent, thank you. I think a Judith Edge kit would be a way to go. If someone ( @Blandford1969? ) would send me a hi-res photo of the drawings, I'll have a go in CAD for a DLP printer, but I suspect it would not be a patch on Michael's work.

So... more thread resurrection. I am hoping to model Bourneville and its shed in the late pre-nationalisation period. Between Saltley and Bourneville, they had 8 of the 3Ps on shed - I guess they could handle the light suburban duties from North of the Lickey up to Birmingham. I have 3D CAD software, and access to rapid prototyping machines. I could try to model this up and do a 3D print for everything above the footplate? Resolution is getting better and better all the time... I'd be willing to give it a go and see what detail comes out looking right. I'm sure there are detailed castings that could be begged, borrowed and stolen to better finish it if required. Mark. ** Additional: We have at least one resident 3D printing expert - @Knuckles is Sparkshot creations... maybe he can help?

I was hunting around for research material for my potential layout when I found this gem on the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Society pages. I have attached it here for our convenience, but if you search for 'Attock Shed Operation' you should find the L&Y copy. It is both a report and a debate from the Journal of Locomotive Engineers, and I found it fascinating - and of its time. (I tried reading it out loud in BBC Received Pronunciation - Mr Cholmondley-Walker would be proud.) Paper_-_Attock_1924_-_I_Loco.E_-_Locomotive_Shed_Layout.pdf