Steven B

Scratch builders sheets available in landscape (brick courses running parallel to long edge of A4 sheet) and same sheets but to fill A3 paper (again, landscape and portrate versions).

Both would allow bigger structures to be built without having to worry quite so much about matching the joints of the standard sheets.

Happy modelling

Steven B.

Wider span bridges please.

The current N Gauge concrete bridge and brick/stone viaducts don't quite have the span for the river I want to cross. Using OO equivalents might be an option but there's the problem of the brick size.

Happy modelling,

Steven B.

Good god, I've heard everything now!

Which sign do you find outside of every station? British Railways cycling lion or a BR arrows of indecision logo? Even in todays privatised railways its still the sign for directing you to a station.

Didn't /hasn't BR Blue last longer than any other livery?

Happy modelling,

Steven B.

Firstly, A diesel loco is just as important in telling the story as a steam loco. It anoys me that some folk just can't see that. There's no doubting that steam engines are great pieces of engineering and as a 30-something I'd much rather ride behind one (or just stand beside one) than a diesel.

Diesels do have a role to play in preservation. They're a lot less expensive than a steam loco to run and require much less preparation and end of day time and effort - many first trains of the days are run by diesels whilst the steam locos raise steam meaning that the volunteers don't have to get up before they went to bed.

I hate seeing anything rusting away at the end of a siding. Seeing a steam loco falling to bits is just as sad as seeing something much newer rotting away - the Class 504 Bury electric at the East Lancs is a prime example.

There's no doubt that Tornado has done much to raise the profile of the preservation movement and the other new build projects are very interesting. That said I'd much rather see the time, money and effort into getting some of the rusting lumps up and running.

So say that a diesel should be written off just because of cylinder head cracks is nonsence. It's not beyond the capabilities of a decent engineering workshop to get a new one cast and machined - no different to a replacement steam cylinder or even boiler.

Happy modelling.

Steven B.

Horses for Courses: - Austerities are in keeping with the character of small 'Light Railway' type lines such as Kent and East Sussex and industrial based lines such as Middleton Railway, but for the longer 'Mainline' and 'Country Branchline' you need something more...

The other problem them is that they are not and never were passenger branchline engines so - again for those of us of an age - they do little or nothing to recreate any sort of feeling for what has passed (not that many preservation type railways can do that anyway).

 

But they had the advantage of being available cheap, usually in something approaching working order, and cheap to operate even if they were not exactly the best thing to ride on when working a passenger train - after all they were designed to shunt at low speed on tight curves, not run at 20+mph.

The A4s, Kings and Britainias often seen (and loved) on preserved railways aren't branchline locos either and so are just as inaccurate as a J94/Austerity. How often did Bridgenorth see Kings? How often Rawtenstall a Princess?

True, industrial/freight 0-6-0s wouldn't have had much to do with passenger work but then I'm guessing many of the larger "freight only" locos didn't spend much time on carriages in pre BR and BR days but do now in preservation.

What's more fun, a 4-6-2 barely making any effort with 6 Mk1 coaches trundling along at 20mph or a J94 actually putting some hard work in on the same load?

Give me the smaller locos any day!

Happy modelling.

Steven B.

And how much will it pull?

Given that the Dapol tungsten chassis'd N Gauge Terrier will handle four or five Mk1s on the flat, the Farish 04 double that, I'd be suprised if the Sentinel couldn't manage something similar (although the lack of wheels might not help matters if your track laying isn't very good).

Happy modelling.

Steven B.

Is there a producer for models or kits of OTA timber wagons in N scale?

Only the Chivers one I'm afraid. Hopefully someone will buy the molds from Chivers and get the models back into production.

In the mean time you'll just have to do what BR did and convert a VDA or OCA.

It's not a difficult task to scratch build one - 20' 9" chassis are available from the NGS and TPM. If you ask TPM nicely they might have some spair ends from the VCA/VDA kits which would speed things up. Other option is to bash the Farish OCA - remove the sides and extend the ends.

Happy modelling.

Steven B.