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Mikkel

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Blog Entries posted by Mikkel

  1. Mikkel
    Yesterday I went to get some things in the attic of the old apartment block where we now live. Each flat has a tiny storage room, and as I entered the attic I noticed that one door was ajar.
     
     


    Feeling curious, I had a look inside. The room was empty,  but someone had left an old filing cabinet in the corner.
     
     


    Imagine my surprise when, inside the cabinet, I found a number of files marked “Farthing”. With trembling hands I opened the first file, and…
     
     


    Pleased to meet you Ladies and Gentlemen! I am Pickle S. Finkerbury, autodidact railway historian and time traveler. My works include “A Complete and Exhausting Survey of Farthing Station” and “Abandoned Occupational Crossings of Wiltshire, Vol. 1-3”. 
     
     

     
    My specialty, however, is to document the more, shall we say, unusual aspects of everyday railway operation. I have a certain knack for being in the right place at the right time, and have collected a number of files with previously unpublished information. 
     
     

     
    Today I should like to share an interesting finding that I came across in the bay platform at Farthing station, one fine day in the summer of 1907.
     



    The branch passenger train from Overburne was just arriving, exactly on time. 
     
     


    The train pulled into the bay platform…
     
     


    …and came to a halt at the stops, where Station Master A. Woodcourt  was waiting.
     
     


    It was then that I overheard a most interesting conversation between the Station Master and the newly arrived loco crew.
     
     


    - 'Gentlemen, can I have a word?'
    - 'Yes, Sir?'
     
     


    - 'I’ve been reading in the papers about all these dogs that have been disappearing.'
    - 'Dogs, Sir?'
     
     


    - 'Yes, it seems a lot of people have lost their dogs. The police are without a clue, but I’ve noticed….'
    - 'Noticed, Sir?'
     
     

     
    - 'I’ve noticed that the missing dogs all came from houses situated along the Overbourne line. You work that route together a lot.  And it got me thinking…'
    - 'Thinking, Sir?'
     
     


    - 'The two of you, you’re our best men on the footplate. Very eager, aren’t you, about optimising performance. Always experimenting with the firing and the fuel.'
    - 'Fuel, Sir?'
     
     


    - 'All right Perkins, that’s enough! I’m not an idiot. We’ll keep this to ourselves, but there will be no more firing with people's pets! It was bad enough with the cats last year. We certainly want a good fuel economy, but not at the expense of our four-legged friends. Understood?
     
     


    After a long silence both men gave an almost imperceptible nod, and got back to work on the footplate. 

     


    They set the train back… 
     
     


    …did the run round…
     
     

     
    …and eventually pulled away with the train. As we watched them go, I heard the Station Master reminding himself to inspect the ash pit that evening. I shudder to think what he found.

     

     
    So there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. You are now privy to one of the best kept trade secrets of Great Western footplate men. And you know why GWR engines had such a lovely bark.

    Till next time!

     
  2. Mikkel
    This blog sometimes tells some pretty tall tales, but this one is based on a true story. I recently came across a fascinating account of a court procedure at Old Bailey, involving an incident on the Great Western at the turn of the century. I decided to re-enact the incident, with Farthing as the setting and a little, ahem, modeller’s license. Dennis, will you take it from here?
     
     

     
    My name is Dennis Watts, that’s me on the right. I’m a slipper boy with The Great Western Railway Company. I scotch trucks. They pay me 10s. a week. Here is my story.
     
     
     

     
    This is my uncle Henry Watts, he's a checker in the goods depot. It’s the afternoon of May 28, 1902. Pay attention to that box on the porter’s trolley. My uncle is consigning it to the daily Penzance truck.
     
     

     
    After loading, the Penzance truck is shunted to no. 1 line with other trucks for dispersal. Most of the trucks will go out in the next few hours, but the Penzance one is left overnight for attachment to the 4:55 goods.
     
     
     

     
    That night, I walked home from a late shift after the lamps were out. I passed the Penzance truck sitting alone in the dark, and saw some people there.
     
     

     
    I recognized two horse drivers, Woods and Lawson. There were also two other slipper boys, Fraser and Marsh. I could tell they were up to no good.
     
     
     

     
    I walked up to them and saw that they had opened a box of silks from the Penzance truck. They were tucking the goods down their trousers. They asked if I wanted to buy some cheaply for selling on, but I refused.
     
     

     
    Being an honest sort of person I was very uncomfortable with the situation. They were all a bit threatening and I was afraid. What would they do to me?
     
     
     
    To be continued....
     
    Part 2 is here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/75/entry-17072-the-honourable-slipper-boy-part-2/
     
     
  3. Mikkel

    GWR stables (1): Towards an overview

    By Mikkel,


    Structures
    The following are my notes on GWR stable blocks – a subject that does not seem to have received much attention. I am about to build one for Farthing, and have noticed various style differences that may be of interest to others.
     

    Chipping Norton stables in 1983. Built 1904. Rebuilt with end doors to serve as a garage, but otherwise it features the main elements of the "archetype" standard design, ie "hit and miss" vents in windows and above doors, and those characteristic boxy roof vents. Image copyright and courtesy Alan Lewis.
     
    I first became interested in GWR stables some years ago, and received some very helpful advice and material from several RMwebbers on here. Many thanks gents! However, I wanted to obtain an overview of the designs of stables built by the GWR, and this proved tricky. While there are a number of drawings and photos in various books and line histories, I couldn’t find an actual overview anywhere (or have I missed it?). Janet Russell's wonderful "Great Western Horse Power" comes closest with a handful of selected GWR plans and descriptions, but no attempt to provide an overview of the different styles. Vaughan’s "Great Western Architecture" and Stephen Williams’ "GWR Branchline Modelling vol 2" have a few pictures and drawings each.
     
     

    The stable block at Uxbridge Vine Street, illustrating how stables were sometimes located well away from the center of stations, although usually they would be found near the yard entry/exit. Source: Britain from above. Embedding permitted.
     
    So I have tried to make my own overview. Please note that this isn't based on extensive archival research or a systematic review of the various line histories. I have used a few key books and what others have shared.
     
    I first divided the stable blocks into three overall types:
    * The standard design, with 3 major permutations
    * The small "ad hoc" designs, sometimes inherited
    * The very large designs for major goods depots
     
    In the following I focus especially on the standard designs.
     
    The standard designs
     
    Various books refer to the emergence of a "standard" design of stable blocks around the turn of the century. However, looking at drawings and photos I realized that there were detail differences in this design, which could be divided into 3 main “styles”. Two immediate caveats:
    Most of what I have found seems to have been built from approximately the 1890s to grouping. I have not found evidence of standard designs before this time, but that may just be my lack of information. Little seems to have been built after grouping as horses were disappearing, but many stables remained in use for other purposes long after that. Although I identify 3 main styles, there also seem to have been hybrids and possibly also “retro-fitting”. So rather than seeing the three styles as entirely different designs, it is probably better to see them as different expressions of a standard design that evolved over time.
    The standard designs were single-story and followed classic GWR style features, i.e. red brick structures with blue engineering bricks around doors and at corners. The main style differences were in the ventilation, windows and doors.
     
    Sizes differed widely across the same style, from a few stalls to 20+. The footprint was simply stretched in length to accommodate the necessary no. of stalls (thanks for pointing that out, Ian). They were mostly rectangular, although there are one or two examples with a V or U shaped footprint to fit in the surroundings. In the following I have used sketches of quite large stable blocks to illustrate the styles, as they are of particular interest to me at the moment - but the same styles could be found across different sizes.
     
    STYLE A “Simple”
    Plain stable doors and sash windows with 3x4 panes. Limited ventilation. No roof-mounted louvred vents, no vents in doors and windows. Examples: Uxbridge Vine Street, Castle Cary. I’m having trouble dating this style, but my theory is that it is the earliest expression of the standard designs, because it pays so little attention to ventilation.
     
     

    My reproduction of the GWR drawing of Uxbridge Vine Street, illustrating Style A. An attractive option for the modeller who doesn't want to model the complicated ventilation seen on other types. Based on the original GWR drawing in Russel's "GWR Horse Power", which also has a drawing of the smaller stable block at Castle Cary to the same design.
     
    STYLE B “Archetype”
    Classic boxy louvred roof vents. Stable doors have “hit and miss” vents above, while windows have the same vents below a 3x3 glazing pattern. Examples: Abingdon, Chipping Norton (see header photo), Westbury, Hayes (original), Hayle, Park Royal, Thame, Little Somerford. Again there are dating difficulties. Chipping Norton’s stable was built in 1904. Westbury was totally rebuilt in 1901, so maybe the stable is from that date? Park Royal doesn’t seem to have been developed until the late 1900s.
     
     

    Park Royal, illustrating the archetypical features of Type B.
     
    STYLE C “Later”
    Stable doors have 2 rows of small windows/lights above doors, main windows are 4x5 panes. No vents in doors and windows, but large roof vents that are flatter and longer than the classic style. Examples: Weston-Super-Mare, extension block at Hayes, and the unidentified large new stable block in Russel's Great Western Horsepower p. 209-210. I’m calling this the “later” style because (i) the roof vent design seems more modern and functional and (ii) the original block at Hayes was style B design, but when it was extended (no date) the new blocks were to style C.
     
     

    Weston-Super-Mare, illustrating what I call Type C. Twenty stalls is a lot, there weren't many stables this big.
     
     

    A much smaller version of Type C. This 5-stall block was erected to extend the existing Type B block at Hayes & Harlington. A comparison with Weston-Super-Mare shows that the style is the same, and was simply shortened or stretched according to need.
     
    HYBRIDS/REBUILDS
    One or two stables I have seen could be hybrids between the main permutations. However, this is confused by the fact that (i) stables may have been retrofitted with new ventilation by the GWR, and (ii) stables were often rebuilt when no longer used for horses, and so latter day photos may confuse. For example, the latter day photos of Witney (built 1905) show windows like a Style A, but with the boxy roof vents of a Style B. However, the stable block was rebuilt to house motor lorries, and a closer look at the photos suggests to me that the windows and doors did originally have vents, but were replaced/modified (ie it is a rebuilt style B). The stable block at Minehead is more tricky, as described in the caption below.
     

     
    The preserved stable block at Minehead. As seen here it would seem like a Style A, but an earlier hand-drawing (not GWR) shows it with hit-and-miss vents in the windows, suggesting a Style B - except that the drawing does not show vents above the door or on the roof. Were they removed before the drawing was made (when the end doors were installed, for example), or was Minehead a hybrid? Shared under Creative Commons license. Attribution: Chris Osment/West Somerset Railway.
     
    Non-standard designs
     
    This included "all the rest", worthy of a whole study in themselves, but broadly speaking:
     
    Ad Hoc small designs
    A number of usually small, non-standard ad hoc stables, typically built during the early years, and often by independent companies. In some locations, the GWR simply hired space in a building for the local shunting horse with private individuals. Examples: Henley-in Arden, Princetown (built ca 1910), or how about Camborne!
     
    Very large and unique designs
    Very large stables for the major goods depots, including (i) single-story designs such as Hockley, (ii) two-story designs, rare but see Handsworth & Smethwick (and Paddington originally) and (iii) in a league of its own, Paddington Mint.
     

    The stables at Paddington Mint. Copyright Getty Images, embedding permitted.
     
    So those are my notes for now. Many thanks to all who have provided info and allowed use of photos so far. I am hoping that this will also bring new insights to light from others, as I have probably only scratched the surface.
     
    Edit: For further notes, see this blog entry.
     
     
  4. Mikkel
    Yard lamps have appeared at Farthing, using a mix of scratchbuilt bits, modified parts from old whitemetal lamps, and modified Andrew Stadden figures.





    This is an early GWR platform type, based on old photos I have found. There was also a later, more sturdy variant. Thomas Grig, GWR Yard Porter and lamplighter, is looking a trifle worried. He never did like heights.





    Above is a standard 13ft column lamp. Most GWR yard lamps had hexagonal lamp housing, but the style and decoration of the chimney varied greatly. This one is based on a photo in Vaughan’s "GWR Architecture".





    On some of the taller lamp types, a ladder was fixed permanently at the center. I assume this was safer than using the cross bars.





    The Old Yard at Farthing was formerly a station on the erstwhile N&SJR line. A few of the original lamps survived the GWR takeover, as seen here front left. These are modified from the old Mike' Models range.





    GWR porter Herbert Pocket prepares to clean a lamp. Thanks to Richard whose suggestion inspired this little scene.





    Herbert discovers that the chimney glass is broken. It's a proper mystery how that happened.





    The lamps were cobbled together from various parts in my spares box. Here the post from an old Dart Castings lamp is being modified with cross bars and curly bits from brass wire.





    The glazing on all the lamps was drawn up in Inkscape, then cut and scored on my Silhouette cutter. I used 0,25mm (i.e. 10 thou) PVC glazing from the German “Aeronaut Modellbau” range (ref #7858/32).





    The glazing is simply folded into shape.





    Here is a hexagonal example being folded for the GWR lamps.





    To represent glazing bars, I filled the folding lines with paint and removed the excess. After taking these photos I discovered that it pays to use a darker shade than for the rest of the lamp for this purpose.





    Frosting was initially a problem, as I used Superglue to fix the glazing in place. However, leaving one "window" open helped the fumes escape. The last bit was then fixed with glazing glue. On future lamps, I will see if a more appropriate glue can be used.





    The tops on the GWR lamps were built up using prototype photos, bits from the spares box and some plastic rod. In retrospect it would be better to fashion the lamp top cover from styrene as well, using the cut and fold technique.





    I tried different ways of making the glass chimneys, all with mixed success. I think the most promising way was to use bits cut from "fine glue applicators".





    The glass chimney in evidence. Looks like I didn't fit it straight. Never mind, time to get on with life :-)





    Speaking of life: The lamp attendants were made from Andrew Stadden figures. Their limbs bend fairly easily, another advantage of these great figures. Thomas Grig had his arms and legs bent for a suitable pose.





    Looks like Thomas has made use of a fireman's jacket for the grubby work of tending the lamps.





    Herbert Pocket was made from one of Andrew Stadden's loco crews, which come with separate arms and heads. The photos show how:













    I have enjoyed making these lamps. With further experiments they could probably be refined further, but for now I'm happy with them.





    A final look at Thomas Grig as he surveys the scene. He is in dire need of some equipment for tending that lamp - currently on the workbench.
  5. Mikkel

    A most implausible arrival

    By Mikkel,


    Stories
    One of the reasons I chose to model Farthing was the rather unusual combination of stock sometimes seen in that area. In this case, East meets West as the thoroughly Cornish 0-4-4T No. 34 heads a train of Holden 4-wheelers from the Metropolitan area. A highly implausible combination, especially during this period and in this location! Above, Driver T. F. Oberon eases the branch train into the bay, while Fireman R.S. Peaseblossom is looking desperately for his lunch bag.
     
     

     
    The branch train comes to rest in the bay. It is seen from the alternate, non-viewing side of the layout, with the sky edited in. The coaches are an All Third to Dia S17 and a Brake Third to Dia T59, and consist of Shirescenes sides on modified Ratio underframes. They are approximations as the ends are only 5 panels wide in order to fit the width of the chassis, whereas in fact they should be 6 panels wide. I wrote up some building notes here.
     
     

     
    A closer view of No. 34. This loco was originally built and owned by the late Dave Perkins, with whom I shared an interest in Edwardian GWR. I hope to make a separate post showing some of his locos later on. No 34 was built from the old Albion (now Roxey Mouldings) kit, and is the only pre-owned loco I have that did not require some form of repair or repaint when I took it over.
     
     

     
    No. 34 has run round its train and is shunting a horsebox off the branch train and into the horse dock. I haven't fitted Sprat & Winkle couplings to this loco yet, so am using screwlinks/3-links and the Big Hand from Above to work it. Not easy when you have to reach over the canopy.
     
     

     
    Ganger P. Quince watches No. 34 shunting. Not an easy man to impress, he is nevertheless captivated by the unusual branch train today. Meanwhile, a bit of grass conveniently grows at the base of the water tower. Not that it is hiding a gap, of course!
     
     

     
    A classic platform cameo, as we take leave of No. 34 moving past in the background.
     
  6. Mikkel

    Barrels, baskets, bales

    By Mikkel,


    Goods
    I’m still working on the goods items for my goods depot. Here’s a selection of various items I've been working on recently. Apologies for getting a bit long-winded with this, but I enjoy learning a bit about goods items as I go along – it’s all part of the scene, after all.
     
     

     
    H0 and 0 casks from Frenchman River Works. Great texture and six hoops, which is rare on model casks despite being very common in reality.
     
     
     

     
    The FRW barrels again, now painted. At first I thought they were too rickety for an Edwardian goods depot, but then realized that they represent “dry slack” casks with wooden hoops as used for fruit, tobacco, nails etc - as opposed to “dry tight” casks for eg flour and salted products, and “wet tight” casks for beer, wine etc. Slack casks were typically of inferior materials and workmanship, and were often only used once. An interesting topic in itself, see eg this website.
     
     
     

     
    White metal beer casks from Dart castings. They are reasonable mouldings, but do require some work on the mould lines and flash. This particular type represents Firkins. The whole topic of unit sizes is fascinating but bewildering. For example, a wine and beer Hogshead were not quite the same, and a particular cask unit could be either fat or tall.
     
     
     

     
    The Dart casks after painting. Pins on the extreme left, the rest are Firkins. The light ones are work in progress. There’s a slight “Warhammer” look to these casks, but then these close-ups are very cruel.
     
     

     
    Prost! Large beer casks from German Kotol. I’m a bit ambivalent about turned wood barrels: The wood grain is often too large for 4mm. Translated to 4mm I would say these are roughly equal to a Butt (a word of advice: don’t try to Google butt and beer in the same sentence!).
     
     

     
    These lightly modified casks from Bachmann have a nice feel to them, and unlike many other model casks they actually have a bung hole (don’t Google that either). (update Feb 2021: Latest versions don't have the bung hole). I’m thinking they are Hogsheads. Hoops can be hard to paint neatly, so I painted some masking tape in a rust colour, and wrapped it around the existing moulded hoops. Oxidization of the hoops seemed to happen very quickly on new barrels.
     
     
     

     
    The Bachmann casks in place. Most 4mm casks only have four hoops, and at first I thought this was wrong for the larger types of casks. But photos from GWR goods sheds reveal several examples of casks with just four hoops, apparently irrespective of size and date. See GWR Goods Services Part 2A pages 6, 55, 59, 63, 92, 102, 163. On the other hand, there were clearly also many six-hooped barrels in Edwardian days, see eg the wonderful photo on p. 68 of the same volume. So both types would be appropriate, it seems.
     
     
     

     
    On to baskets. These wicker baskets are also from Hornby, now sadly discontinued. There are long debates about Hornby on here, but some of their goods items are fairly good - design clever, in fact!
     
     
     

     
    Gem whitemetal pigeon baskets (ebay seller’s image). At first I thought they were missing the external louvres for light and air that are evident on latter-day types. However, a bit of research suggested that some early types were in fact quite similar to the Gem offerings. See for example this drawing.
     
     

     
    It seems this type of pigeon basket was closed with straps, so out came the masking tape again, painted and folded to look like straps. Incidentally, for 7mm modellers Skytrex have some pigeon baskets in their large range of goods items.
     
     

     
    Hen’s teeth. After much searching I managed to track down this discontinued Preiser H0 “kit” for produce baskets.
     
     
     

     
    Painted hen's teeth. Photos from the 1900s show baskets of various sizes in goods sheds – both full and empty, and not just in large quantities but also individually or two or three together. The cabbages are a loose fit so far, would they have been covered with something during transport?
     
     

     
    Unsung hero. The humble goods sack, illustrated by a rather good whitemetal example from Dart Castings.
     
     
     

     
    More white-metal sacks from Dart Castings, now painted. I might make some more of the flat, stacked ones to my own design. When I was boy playing with toy soldiers, I made sandbags from clay and loo paper.
     
     

     
    I wanted some wool bales and decided to make them myself. I began with this type. Finding the right fabric is tricky. Hessian and similar materials looks overscale in 4mm. I ended up with a thin, soft and fairly tightly woven material for making sheets. It was wrapped around a length of plastic rod (several rods laminated to get the right shape), and fixed in place using Loctite Powerflex. The ends are individual cut-outs of fabric, soaked in glue and smoothed tightly to the rest of the bale, giving the impression of a seam.
     
     

     
    The rope was simulated by sewing thread. The thread was sewn to the bottom of the bale, wrapped around, sewn again to the bottom, etc. My wife watched with a strained smile, I suppose she would have preferred me to take up sky-diving.
     
     

     
    Despite pulling the thread tight, I wasn’t too successful in achieving the bulge between the “roping”. Experiments with a soft “core” of cotton wool didn’t seem to help. This is the best I could do for now.
     
     
     

     
    Next up was a different type of bale, the pressed ones illustrated here.I used the same fabric, but dyed it using an age-old technique: Dunk it in Carr’s sleeper stain and weather with baby powder. Apparently, manual bale presses were in use well before the turn of the century.
     
     
     

     
    To get that bulging look, I wrapped the fabric around H section plastic rod and stuffed it with cotton wool. More manly pursuits!
     
     
     

     
    The bales in place on the mezzanine floor. I'm not entirely satisfied. Even this fabric looks overscale in the texture. But I'm tired of fiddling with them, so apart from a bit of weathering this will have to do.
     
     
     

     
    Inspired by Nick’s cider boxes and Job’s whisky crates (many thanks gents!), I’ve experimented with making small crates from folded paper. I found some photos of this attractive Coleman’s crate on the web, allegedly correct for the period. The photos were scaled down, edited, and printed. As this is supposed to be a wooden crate, I glued the prints to sections of plastic rod in order to avoid the folds and sagging that would haved suggested a cardboard box. As far as I understand, cardboard boxes where only just coming into use as transport containers around this time, and I can’t recall seeing any in photos of 1900s goods sheds (but please do correct me if I’m mistaken).
     
     
     

     
    The Coleman’s crates came out OK, but most small crates of the period had an unpainted natural wood look which I find difficult to create in paper. So I’ve now ordered some paper-thin wood veneer that can be used in inkjet printers. Should make for an interesting little experiment.
     
    Edited Feb 2021: The barrels that I originally referred to as Hornby seem to have actually been from Bachmann. Note that I have since purchased some more of these, and the bung hole is no longer modelled. Oh, the woes of this world.
  7. Mikkel

    Blue skies and horse traffic

    By Mikkel,


    Stories
    It is afternoon in the Overbourne bay at Farthing station. The all third "strengthener" rests in one of the sidings, while a worker from a local cartage company is lost in thought. The coach reveals that I'm still in the process of fitting couplings to some of the stock.
     
     


     
    The regular branch engine No. 1961 of the "850" Class shunts a horsebox to diagram N5 into the horse dock. The horse seems nervous at the prospect of travelling inside a box on wheels. Perhaps in reality horses were not brought to the loading dock before the stock was in place?
     
     
     

     
    Horse and groom wait for the staff to open the doors. The horsebox is from the old Colin Waite kit. The busy horse traffic around Farthing was inspired by the Newbury area and the DN&SR and Lambourn lines. I had no end of trouble finding a suitable racing horse as most available OO horses are either in full harness or just too poorly moulded to work with. So I ended up with this Noch example, to which I added just a bit of filler in strategic places, and a horse rug (is that the word?) made from toilet tissue. The horse is HO, but I think it works OK if we assume it's a two-year old!
     
     
     

     
    Meanwhile No. 1961 continues its work. The C10 "strengthener" is drawn out of its slumber for use on the busy late afternoon service to Overbourne, which always draws a good number of passengers arriving on the ex-London services or having spent the day in Farthing. The coach is a Triang RTR conversion job (construction notes here) and this photo is rather revealing of the various compromises involved. While I do like RTR bashing, in this case I've got an almost finished kit-built coach waiting in the wings as a replacement.
     
     
     

     
    The "strengthener" is coupled up to the standard branch set waiting in the platform, while a couple of well-to-do passengers watch with detached interest. The wicker baskets are from Hornby and are the only items on the layout that were used straight out of the packet. The baskets are very good in texture and colour, although a couple in my packet seemed to have slipped unduly past quality control.
     
     
     

     
    Next up in the formation is the horsebox, now containing horse and groom, and seen here being coupled up to the rest of the train. Horseboxes tended to travel next to the loco at the front of the train, although I've forgotten why. Was it easier on the horses that way?
     
     
     

     
    Every afternoon of every day, Miss Agnes Wilkinson sits on the bench at the end of the platform, hoping to catch a glimpse of driver T. F. Oberon, the lost love of her lost youth. He ignores her today as he has done for the past 45 years, but Miss Wilkinson does not give up. Tomorrow she will be back on the bench, for she knows that some fine day Mr Oberon will yield.
     
     
     

     
    The Overbourne train is now made up and ready for boarding. It really is a very clear day today - so clear in fact, that the entire town above the embankment walls has disappeared into thin air. Still, it beats having our cluttered basement as a background!
     
     
  8. Mikkel
    For the past year or so I’ve been adding to my fleet of early 1900s GWR wagons. The idea is to make each wagon a little different. Here’s a summary of some of the detail differences so far. First up is this gang of Iron Minks.
     

     
    The Iron Minks were built from ABS kits, with replacement roofs from MRD. The grease axleboxes on 57605 were scrounged from another kit, and the deep vents on 11258 were made from styrene. The unusual hybrid livery of the latter van is based on my interpretation of a photo in Atkins, Beard & Tourret. See this post for details.
     
     
     

     
    Next is a brace of three-plankers, seen here at rest in the still rather bare sidings at Farthing.
     
     
     

     
    David Geen does whitemetal kits for both the round- and square end 3-plank wagons. The 5 inch "G.W.R" insignia was moved from left to right in 1894, but wagons still carrying left-hand "G.W.R" occasionally appear in photos as late as 1905.
     
     
     

     
    No. 1897 of the 1854ST class shunts a pride of 4-plankers in the sidings.
     

     
    The 4-plankers are Coopercraft kits, with modified floors and running gear. The rarely modelled Thomas brake gear on 71508 was fashioned from handrail knobs and wire, while the DC1 brakes on 781 is from a Bill Bedford etch. The irregular font of the Tare numbes on 64493 are based on a prototype photo, as with most of the wagons.
     
     
     

     
    All good fun. Having said that, I've had enough of building little red wagons for the time being, so now it's on with the layout.
  9. Mikkel

    Low-tech coach restoration (5)

    By Mikkel,


    Coaches & Browns
    Well I finally got around to finishing my little restoration job on these old coaches.
     

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Got the painting done reasonably quickly, but then followed the usual issues: “Now for the glazing. Oh wait, I’m out of Testor's. Must order some more. Now where did I order it last time? Better google it. Ah there’s RMweb, well maybe just a couple of minutes on there then. Oh look, someone's discussing the cost of tea at exhibitions. Gotta follow that! Well that was a pleasant hour on RMweb. Wait, did I forget something? Oh well, tomorrow then.” Etc!
     
     

     
    But I got there in the end (click images if not sharp). Here's the 6-wheel Van to dia V13, converted from a W3 . I use a simplified version of the livery as it would have been seen around 1906 on my coaches. I did have a bit of trouble painting the panels on a couple of them, as my normal method works best on new and sharply defined panels.
     
     
     

     
    Here's the R1 All first. A big word of thanks to all who helped find the right running numbers for this diagram, both here and on the gwr e-list. The R1s were numbered 1-8 and I initially thought this was a great opportunity to have a coach numbered "1". I even applied the first transfer, but then found it simply looked odd! So I chose no. 7 instead.
     
     
     

     
    Here's the G20, a Third class saloon. The glazing has been fitted, I just like it clean. So much for the interior detailing, you can't really see any of it. Oh well. In case you're wondering, the Weasel is on the other side.
     
     
     

     
    Here's one I restored earlier, one of the little 4-wheel V2s. I have to say Colin had a great taste in coaches when he originally built these a long time ago.
     
     
     

     
    Another one from the first batch I restored, the U16 6-wheel compo, with the luggage windows now appropriately "blinded".
     
     
     

     
    And finally a line-up of the three newly done coaches, ready for service. As the header says, this is all very low-tech but it has been a nice project and I like the idea of giving Colin's old coaches a new lease on life. There's a message in there for all of us balding old farts, I think: It's never too late!
     
     
  10. Mikkel

    Pre-grouping livery clippings

    By Mikkel,


    Misc.
    Here are a couple of PDF files that may be of interest to pre-grouping modellers.
     
    The first document is an 1896 article from Moore's Monthly Magazine (later renamed "The Locomotive") on British pre-grouping liveries. It includes brief livery descriptions for a number of the railways (but not all).
     
    MooresMonthlyLiveries.pdf
     
     
    The second document is my personal selection of quotes and news items on GWR liveries and selected other liveries from the archives of the Railway Magazine during the period 1898-1924.
     
    RailwayMagazineLiveries_OK.pdf
     
     
    A few notes:
     
    Apart from the general observations on British and GWR liveries, the documents contain two key sources for the theory that GWR wagons were red until 1904. I'm a follower of this theory, but thought I'd have a look at the contemporary sources to see for myself. I have to say though that the references to wagon liveries are very brief, and to me emphasize the very scant attention given to wagons by railway observers of the time.
     
    More generally speaking, this material also suggests to me that contemporary magazine articles are a somewhat problematic source of livery details. I can't help feeling that the livery descriptions herein seem rather subjective and not necessarily well researched. That said, the material does provide some snippets of information on various details of GWR loco and carriage liveries that I had not previously encountered.
     
    I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions. If nothing else, it all gives a sense of the ethos of the time! Many thanks to the RMwebbers who have helped with this.
     
     
  11. Mikkel

    Regrettable incident at 3 PM

    By Mikkel,


    Stories
    Over the years I’ve gathered a small collection of anecdotes and photos that document quirky situations and customs on the real-life railway. The idea is to re-enact them in model form while the glue dries on other projects. The Slipper Boy story was one attempt at this, although admittedly that one got a bit out of hand!
     
    Here’s another, simpler one.  First, the props:
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     
    *****
     
    Clear as mud, I suspect! Here’s what it’s all about:
     
    Railway Magazine, January 1906:
     

     
     
    Just another incident on the everyday railway, but we can’t allow this stuff to be forgotten! Below is an attempt to re-enact it in my Farthing setting. I’ll see if it works without words:
     
     

     
     
     

     
     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     
    *****
     
    That was the event as reported.  But I wonder what happened afterwards? All those tasty eels, and no ice left to keep them fresh... A quick discussion among the staff, perhaps, to find a solution?
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     
    🙂
     
    *****
     
    PS: I couldn’t find a period description of exactly how live eel were transported in Edwardian days, so the container seen here is loosely based on a 1970 FAO publication which documents a method that does not seem out of place in earlier days:
     
    "Live eels can be transported in small quantities in tray-boxes […]. A typical wooden tray-box contains four lift-out trays about 50mm deep, each designed to hold about 10kg of eels graded according to size. The top tray is usually filled with crushed ice so that cold melt water trickles down through the eels during the journey to keep them cool and lively. […] Each tray has drain holes and is divided across the middle to make a total of eight compartments holding about 5kg each, that is about 40kg for the whole box. The lid of the box is nailed on, and the whole is steel-banded both to prevent pilferage and to prevent the eels escaping through the joints. Boxes of this type are used successfully for live transport not only within the UK but also for 24-hour journeys from the Continent with little or no loss."
     

     
    Source: http://www.fao.org/3/x5915e/x5915e01.htm#Live storage and transport
     
  12. Mikkel
    I’ve added a selection of horse droppings to the road and yard on “The Stables”. 
     
    Obviously, prototype research was needed first! Period photos from the 1890s-1930s often show droppings in the street, especially where horse-drawn carriages were regularly parked.
     

    "Bicycle couriers with copies of the Manchester Guardian, which are being delivered to Euston station in London for circulation, circa 1920." Getty Images, embedding permitted. 
     
    Droppings can sometimes be seen strung out, as seen below. I assume that’s because the “action” happened while the horse was on the move. But just how many horses were involved here?!
     

    "A view along Holland Park Mews, London." Getty Images, embedding permitted.
     
     
    After a while, the droppings would get trampled or washed apart. 
     

    "Looking down one of the streets in the village of Hatherop, Gloucestershire, c1860-c1922." Getty Images, embedding permitted.
     
     
    In the busiest streets of large towns it could sometimes get quite messy, if I interpret the image below correctly. 
     

    "Newcastle ca. 1900. The entrance to Central Station and in the background, St Mary's church and spire." Getty Images, embedding permitted.  
     
     
    It’s worth pointing out, though, that many 1900s photos of street scenes show just a few droppings or none at all.  The street sweepers must have worked hard in the big cities!
     

    "London. Holborn Viaduct, about 1900." Getty Images. Embedding permitted.
     
     
    In villages with limited traffic, the manure would presumably have been rarer. And perhaps quickly snatched up for gardens?
     

    "Stratford-Upon-Avon, circa 1900." Getty Images. Embedding permitted.
     
     
    Despite busy horse traffic, urban goods yards also appear relatively clean, although sometimes the presence of a photographer may have helped!
     

    "Paddington Goods Depot, 1923.  Horse drawn vehicles carrying Witney blankets"  Getty Images. Embedding permitted.

     
    A study of contemporary photos and horsey websites showed that the colour and texture of droppings varies considerably. One factor is whether the dung is fresh or old. Another is the horse's diet. For example, I understand that low quality hay results in very brown droppings, while green grass will give you an olive tinge. Here's a selection, á la carte:
     

    Photos from Flickr Creative Commons. Credits clockwise from top left: Ben Schumin; Ben Schumin; David MW; Bernd Hutschenreuther; Jes; Jes.
     
     
    True dung enthusiasts will therefore need to study the fodder composition of the companies they model, which incidentally also varied across time and place. For example, Tony Atkins writes in "GWR Goods Cartage", Vol. 1, p77:
     
     
     
    I didn't go that extent though. Basically, I just tried out some stuff. From earlier experiments I knew that, when tapped repeatedly, the little balls that form in pigment bottles will move to the front and can be gently shaken onto the ground. This is Vallejo Natural Sienna pigment (ref. 73.105).
     

     

    The balls were secured by floating a little Woodlands Scenic cement alongside, letting the balls soak it up through capillary action. This binds the pigments together and sticks the balls to the ground. Once dry, a brushing of matt varnish sealed them further.
     

     
     
    Breaking up some of the pigment balls adds a more scattered impression:
     

     
     
    A light dusting of Johnson's baby powder made for a drier, more discrete look.
     

     
     
    A lick of dry-brushed paint resulted in a darker and more compact appearance. An almost black shade would be quite common,  but that turned out to be rather distracting. Little black spots tend to catch the eye! So I went for lighter brownish shades. 
     

     
     
    Standard GWR stable blocks had channels that helped carry droppings and urine out of the stable block and into the sewer. So there I went for a glitzy Wet Dung look, using a bit of gloss varnish.
     

     
     
    I used additional pigments around the edges to indicate a dissolving dropping.
     

     
     
    Arguably, my droppings are on the large side (quiet at the back!). But I think a slightly stylized look can sometimes work OK, as it helps the viewer interpret what they are seeing. Also, have you ever stood next to a shire horse?
     

     
     
    Not quite a shire horse. House-trained though. Let's see the Midland beat that!
     

     
     
    Although I like an uncluttered look, it's probably all still a bit too clean.
     

     
     
    I'm currently working on that. These are pigments brushed into the setts, after first adding a tiny drop of Woodlands Scenic Cement and letting it almost dry. The idea is to represent residue from past droppings. Must add some bits of straw too, as recently suggested by Matt.
     

     
     
    Meanwhile, Stableman John Rokesmith has had enough of it all. Not what he had in mind when he joined the railways. '"Romance of the footplate", my arse!'
     

     
     
     
  13. Mikkel

    Trees for Farthing - Mark One

    By Mikkel,


    Scenery
    Projects over the summer have included trees. The original inspiration came from the tree-lined perimeters of Reading’s Vastern Road and King’s Meadow goods yards.
     
     
    Vastern Road yard, Reading, 1948. Source: Britain from above.
     
     
    The trees here were quite close to the track along some sections. Earlier photos from the 1900s show larger trees, so they must have been a feature from at least the 1880s.
     

    Vastern Road yard, Reading, 1948. Source: Britain from above.
     
     
    Apart from a bit of dabbling ages ago, this was my first real attempt at trees. It does show! But for what it's worth, here's a summary of how I did them. The basic armature was made from Treemendus 0.5 mm wire, cut to 150 mm lengths of which I used 45 per tree for my purposes. Similar wire can be obtained from florists.
     

     
     
    To form the trees, I used the method suggested by Treemendus, whereby one wire is twisted around others (rather than twisting all wires). This is certainly a quick method, but the outer wire does show.
     

     
     
    Treemendus recommend using masking tape in order to smooth out the trunk and main branches. This helps, but also adds to the thickness. Accordingly, I may use fewer wires per tree for the next batch.
     

     
     
    Once done, the armatures were coated in Treemendus bark powder. This can be sanded for a smoother look.
     

     
     
    For the crown and foliage I diverted from the Treemendus approach and instead used Heki sea foam, each piece glued to the armature with superglue. The pods can be removed, but I didn’t bother as the foliage I used conceals it.
     

     
     
    The crown was sprayed with a few quick coats of light brown/grey. I used Liquitex, these are low-toxic water based spraypaint for artists.
     

     
     
    Foliage was added using “coarse turf” from Woodlands scenic. This is the “burnt grass” shade.
     

     
     
    The foliage was attached using Hob-e-Tac- glue, non-toxic and very sticky.
     

     
     
    The foliage sticks to the outer reaches of the seafoam, leaving a nice natural branch structure behind it. 
     

     
     
    A coat of Woodlands “scenic cement” was sprayed on to further stick things down. This darkens the foliage somewhat, so I only did one coat. 
     

     
     
    As these are planted urban trees, they needed to be fairly uniform yet individually different. It helped to build them alongside each other. 
     

     
     
    I found that it was possible to make up individual bits of sea-foam twigs and retro-fit them to the trees. That way, any areas that I was unhappy with could be improved.
     

     
     
    The species is nominally London Plane-ish, although I admittedly concentrated more on just learning the techniques. I did try to indicate the mottled/patchy look of the bark with a paintbrush, but it doesn't show up well and needs more work.
     

     
     
    The original plan was to have 3-4 trees at the front of the layout.
     

     
     
    I liked the views beneath the canopy.
     

     
     
    And the shadow effect when the sun came in through our windows.
     

      
     
    But from a distance the layout seemed too “front loaded” and forbidding. Trying out various configurations I was struck by how the different positioning of trees can give very different impressions. E.g., compare these two photos:
     

     

     
     
    In the end I opted for the arrangement seen below. This gives me street trees but also an open view. It requires an extension of the layout at the back, featuring another road and - you'll be relieved to hear - a backscene. This is currently being built.
     

     
     
    It's all been an interesting exercise. I will probably keep this first batch of trees for the time being, but have started experimenting with alternative methods, including natural plants. More on that later.
     
     
  14. Mikkel

    GWR 2-plank and 3-plank wagons

    By Mikkel,


    Wagons
    The first 2- plank wagon has appeared at Farthing, accompanied by a round-ended 3-planker. 
     
     

     
    The 2-planker owes much to Duncan, who kindly gave me one of his surplus 3D printed wagon bodies. Thanks again Duncan! I've been wanting to do a 2-planker since I saw Richards's early Opens some years ago.
     
     
     

     
    I’ve used the Swindon drawing in Atkins et al for reference, and the photo of Worcester built 19451 as the prototype.  Apologies to Dave for doing the same number as his 7mm 2-planker, but there aren't many prototype photos to choose from.
     
     
     

     
    The chunky brake-blocks were drawn up from the drawing and cut on my Silhouette, then laminated from three layers of styrene.
     
     
     

     
    Ribbed buffers from MJT. I had to fit a new floor as the old one cracked when I applied too much pressure. Still learning the ropes with these 3D printed materials.
     
     
     

     
    “I made this model all by myself”. I don't think so.  A word of thanks to the small-scale suppliers who make this part of the hobby possible. Not to mention all the helpful modellers out there.
     
     
     

     
    Enough with the bleary-eyed stuff, let’s paint this thing black! This is brush-painted Vallejo primer, convenient when you're in a flat during the winter months. 
     
     
     

     
    Then a base of red, and some Archer’s “rivet” transfers. The latter stick best on a rough surface, I find. The Vallejo primer is slippery, so I waited till the first coat of matt paint was on. Good adhesion, might do that again. The photo makes my standards look more exacting than they are.
     
     
     

     
    Stephen - who is doing a Saltney-built 2-planker - spotted a flitch plate and other solebar details on the prototype photo, so I tried to replicate that. Thanks Stephen. Later Microsol on top, then matt varnish, then more paint.
     
     
     

     
    The finished wagon. The prototype photo shows the paintwork in a very worn state, but I decided to be more gentle, so that it doesn't stick out too much among the other wagons.
     
     
     

     
    Having said that, my phone camera doesn't capture the weathering well, I have noticed that before. It seems to just highlight the main colour scheme.
     
     
     

     
    I’ve also built a round-ended three-planker from a David Geen kit, I do like them. 
     
     
     

     
    On many of these the ends were soon cut square, but some were left alone and occasionally pop up in early 1900s photos.
     

      


    Lettering in process. The eyesight is slowly going downhill, but I swear: A glass of Jameson helps me to focus.
     
     
     

     
    I’m gradually switching from HMRS to Fox transfers. I prefer the method of the former, but the printing on recent HMRS sheets isn’t quite up to former standards. I’m told it’s hard to find a printer who can do the sheets well. I sympathize and hope the HMRS succeed. The dates are when the sheets were purchased. 
     
     
     

     
    The finished 3-planker. The wagon was started in our little forest cabin, under poor lighting. That does show in places, lesson learnt.
     
     
     

     
    The wagons together. It’s counter-intuitive, but the 2-plankers were actually an 1 inch higher than the 3-plankers.
     
     
     


    Here they are with my existing 3-plankers. I suppose that’s more than enough of these types for my 1900s yard. But I wouldn't mind a few more. Nancy Hoffman of Maine has 2000 umbrella covers, so I have some way to go. 
     
     
  15. Mikkel

    Life in the fast lane

    By Mikkel,


    Musings
    I've been thinking that railway modelling needs a better public image. People seem to think the hobby is a bit weird and nerdy, when really we’re a bunch of smooth adrenaline junkies. Here are some examples from my own awesome life.
     
     
     
     
    Firstly, we railway modellers have really cool gear. These DIY tamping and scribing tools were made from coffee stirrers and my wife’s discarded sock knitting needles. Max bling! The top three are for smoothing DAS between sleepers and under rails. 
     
     
     

     
    I use Latex gloves to help seal glue containers. After years of doing this, I’m now wondering if they are in fact permeable.  But never mind, it adds a bit of style. I keep the bottles on the back stairs where our neighbours can admire them.
     
     
     
     
     
    Recycled kitchen sponge, used as a stop block.  Works quite well I find.  If you’re lucky, there are old bits of food left in there.
     
     
     
     
     
    "So what do you in your spare time?”. Oh, I like to put on latex gloves and scrub things with a toothbrush.
     
     
     

     
    The stuff I use for paint stripping is some serious sh*t. Not sure what the proper English term is, it's called "brown soap" in Danish. Used for cleaning floors. Wild, man.
     
     
     

     
    At weekends, I really let my hair down. In one recent highlight, I spent an hour painting sewing thread.  
     
     
     

     
    Then there’s our risk-taking mindset. For example, I recently sorted the kitchen cupboards. 
     
     
     
     
     
    This revealed more spices than we’ll never need, so I decided to experiment:  Would spices work as weathering powders? For improved adhesion, I mixed in some baby powder. 
     
     
     
      
     
    Feeling reckless, I also tried ground ginger.
     

     

     
    The verdict? Well it works OK in a pinch, but proper weathering powders are better. The layout smells great though. Makes for a good pick-up line.

     
     

     
    Speaking of pick-up lines, I like to experiment with dung.
     
     
     
      
    These are lumps of weathering powder on PVA. I think it could work for horse droppings, though more testing is needed. 
     
     
     

     
    It also seems to work when brushed into setts. Horse dung would be trampled and distributed pretty much like that, I reckon. Ordinary people don’t reflect on such things. I guess they just lack vision.
     
    So there’s railway modelling for you: Living on the edge, every day. Anyway, I‘m off to grab a Red Bull before I tackle those couplings. Hang loose, dudes.
     
     
  16. Mikkel

    One morning long ago

    By Mikkel,


    Stories
    One morning long ago, an 1854 class shunted the Old Yard at Farthing.  
     
     
     


    The crew were slightly bored. Nothing much ever happened in the Old Yard. Just a handful of sidings.

     
     


    A carman (sic) watched them roll by, perched on his trolley (Birmingham pattern). The carmen at Farthing were famous for not using reins. 
     
     
     

     
    William Simmons was particularly skilled. Known as The Horse Whisperer, he worked without reins for 46 years and never had an accident. People did wonder why his rounds took so long. It turned out his whispers worked on women too.
     
     
     
     
     
    On the other side of the tracks, lad porter Herbert Pocket was busy cleaning the lamps.  
     
     
     

     
    Herbert had two goals in life: He wanted to drive locomotives, and he wanted to die like a hero.
     
     
     
     
     
    He was last seen in the Congo in 1924, hanging off the tender of a runaway loco. They say he was smiling.
     
     


     
    Meanwhile, porter Alfred Jingle watched the train draw closer.  The morning fog was thick as pea soup. He liked a good pea soup.
     
     
     
     
     
    As the wagons rolled past, Alfred tried to avoid eye contact with Thomas Grig up in the lamp. They hadn’t spoken since the lardy cake argument. They’d been friends for years, but you have to draw a line somewhere.
     
     
     

     
    Thomas, for his part, had other matters on his mind. A lamplighter for 26 years, he had so far scaled the lamps at Farthing 81.121 times.  He knew, because he counted. He counted, because secretly… 
      
     
     

     
    …Thomas had an intense fear of heights.
     
     
     

     
    When he finally retired, Thomas bought a one-storey cottage in Holme Fen, sawed the legs of all his furniture, and heaved a long sigh of relief.
     
     
     

     
    The train rumbled on through the pointwork. The unsheeted Open carried a shipment of Empty Promises. A local MP would pick it up later.
     
     
     

     
    Shunter John Redlaw changed the points to No. 3 siding.
     
     
     

     
    Known as "The Phantom" he had a manner of appearing from nowhere exactly when needed, only to disappear again as soon as the job was done.
     
     
     

     
    The loco propelled the wagons into the siding...
     
     
     

     
    ... towards the covered goods dock. 
     
     
     

     
    Goods porter Samuel Slumkey watched the wagons approach. 
     

     

     
    As a veteran of the Red River Rebellion, the Urabi Revolt and the Sikkim Expedition, Samuel had travelled to the ends of the earth.
     
     
     

     
    It turned out, however, that the real edge of the world was right here in Farthing.
     
     
     

     
    As the train came to a halt, the porters prepared to put in some heavy work.
     
     
     

     
    Not Tom Roker though. Comfortably seated on his favourite barrow, he always found an excuse for not working. In fairness, whilst sat there thinking he invented a universal vaccine, a waterless crop, and an unlimited supply of clean energy. He never wrote it down though. He couldn’t be bothered. 
     
     

     
     
    As the crew prepared to pull back, George Rouncewell said good morning. Not to the crew, but to the loco. He often spoke to the locos.
     
     
     

     
    They all thought he was potty, but George had his reasons. He had worked ten years in the A shop in Swindon, before an errant bar of hot iron put a stop to it.
     
     
     

     
    So these weren’t just locomotives, they were old friends.  He would even order pints for them at the pub. And drink it all. On their behalf, you understand.
     
     
     

     
    Uncoupled, the loco backed away, leaving the wagons behind.
     
     
     

     
    As they drove off, bunker first, the driver said: “Staff here seem quiet today”.
     
     
     

     
    “Yep”, said the fireman, “Bit of a dull lot”.
     
     
    ***
     
    PS: Most of the figures have been modified, some extensively. The captions are all true, only the facts have been changed.
     
     
  17. Mikkel

    GWR weighbridge office

    By Mikkel,


    Structures
    A weighbridge has appeared at Farthing. It began as a kit, but in the end much of it was scratchbuilt. Here's a summary of the build.
     
     

     
    This was the point of departure, a lasercut kit from Rail Model. A little research showed that it is based on the prototype at Leckhampton, a drawing of which appears in the EricPlans volume on GWR and LMS structures. 
     
     

     
    The kit is nicely cut, but I noticed that the corners weren’t mitred. So I sought to remedy this with a file. Bad idea! The MDF edges began to crumble. My mistake.
     
     

     
    I eventually decided to cut a new ‘skin’ from SE finecast brick sheet. This also changed the brickwork from Flemish to English bond, thereby bringing it into line with other brick structures at Farthing. 
     
     

     
    Perhaps I should have built a whole new inner core while I was at it, but I like the idea that the original kit is still in there.  
     
      

      
     A bit of rudimentary furniture.  
     
     

     
    Also a rough outline of the scales - a Pooley design, using bits of styrene and glue brush handles.
     
     

      
    Bird's eye view of the interior. Frankly, almost none of it can be seen from outside! Regarding the blue distemper, see the discussion here – including Tim V.’s interesting photos.
      
     

      
     I decided to make the roof detacahable in case something inside comes loose, or I want to add some staff. 
     
      

     
    Some GWR weighbridges had sliding windows. Some offices had six panes per window, others had four.  The windows supplied in the Rail Model kit provide for this. They’re a bit deep though. Sanding them down is an option, but I didn’t fancy the MDF dust. 
      
      

     
     So I drew up new windows in Inkscape and cut them on my Silhouette. I had some trouble getting the ‘crosses’ neat. 
     
     

     
    A trial fit of the main windows. A closer study of GWR weighbridge offices show that details differ in almost every case. The windows on the Leckhampton structure were positioned relatively high compared to other designs, and centrally rather than off-set to one side.  
     
     

     
    The roof slates were cut from self-adhesive vinyl on the Silhouette, as per the stable block. Once again thanks to Lee for this tip.
     
     

     
    Inspired by @Dave John (a.k.a. the Magnet Man) I stuck a magnet under the roof. That way I can lift it off without damaging anything. 
     
     

     
    Gutters from Wills, and some downpipes fashioned from brass wire.
     
     

     
    The door opens inwards. Makes it harder for those Midland Railway rogues to barricade it from the outside. 
     
     

     
    A 'warts and all' view of the window end. The Leckhampton structure was unusual here: Most GWR weighbridge offices had no window in the end wall, or just a small one.  The Leckhampton building had blue bricks at the base, common but not universal. I decided to go for plain red bricks in order to match the stable block. 
     
     

     
    Trial fit on the layout. I'll have to shift the whole thing further into the yard, so that the staff can better access the door. Slight planning c*ck-up there!
     
     

     
    The weighbridge itself is a Smith etch of a Pooley design. The instructions say it is based on the one at Knightwick, installed 'around 1889'.
     
    That's it for now. Thanks to everyone who helped with information! 
     
  18. Mikkel

    Messing about with trains

    By Mikkel,


    Videos
    ‘Mess about’ 
    [British, informal]
    > to spend time doing things that are not useful or serious: to waste time
    Merriam-Webster dictionary 
     
    Here’s a 1½ minute video showing my new traverser in action. Or frankly: Just a bloke enjoying his layouts. The trains run daily at the moment, maybe it’s operating in a living room environment that makes it a more natural and sociable part of my daily routine.  To my surprise, I hardly miss my man cave in the old house.
     
    Not to everyone’s tastes I’m sure, but I’m enjoying it.
     
     
     
     
  19. Mikkel
    I thought it was about time that I finished my Dean Goods, so here it is virtually done.
     
     
     

     
    It has taken an awfully long time to do, although in fairness it has been resting untouched for long periods while I worked on other projects.
     
     
     

     
    The loco has the original twin flywheel Oxford mechanism that came with the lined pre-grouping version. Mine is a very smooth runner, which is why I found the project worthwhile in the first place. Indeed I've bought another one at a sale, which also runs very well.
     
    Below is a summary of the main steps since the first post on the project, with some further photos of the completed item towards the end.
     
    Cab
     

     
    The cab floor and interior splashers were built up from styrene.
     
     
     

     
    A cut-out was required in order to clear the motor when fitting the body.
     
     
     

     
    The cab detail is a bit quick and dirty. I found a backhead in the spares box, spruced it up a bit and moved it 0.5 mms into the cab to clear the motor. It’s too low, but don’t tell anyone. The raised floor section in the right hand side of the cab can be seen on No. 2516 at Steam, but I’m not sure if it was there in the 1900s? According to Martin Finney, cab seats were a later feature so I didn’t fit any.
     
     
     

     
    Brassmasters have some lovely Finney fittings for the cab, but I wanted to save my pennies, so modified the Oxford lever and springs to look a bit more accurate.
     
     
     

     
    The cab side beading was made from 5 thou strips, cut on my Portrait and curved gently with my warm and healing fingers. Stuck down with Limonene and secured by rolling a brush handle against it.
     
     
     

     
    Further beading and handrails were made from wire. 
     
     
     

     
    The cab roof was built up with four laminated layers, here are the first two (10 + 5 thou).
     
     
     

     
    And the uppermost two (2 x 5 thou). 
     
     
     

     
    The join between cab and boiler was also built up piecemeal, very close to the spectacles as per my prototype. 
     
     
    Fittings
     

     
     Handrails were fitted using my well established formula: "Measure once, drill thrice !".
     
     
     


    Boiler washout plugs from Coast Line Models. Alan appears to have temporarily withdrawn these, I hope they’ll return. 
     

     

     
    I fashioned a new reversing lever, and fitted a loco jack from the Broad Gauge Society.
     
     
     
     
    Photos of the uprights on which loco jacks were mounted during this period are rare, here's a crop from an image I found (left). Also a standing version, which I suspect was an earlier arrangement.
     

     
     
     The curvy “piano lid” cylinder cover was a feature of some locos during the short smokebox period. They were sometimes left in open position while running! Fittings on the smokebox side were cobbled up from bits of brass. 
     
     
    Chassis
     

     
    The loco chassis required very little modification, which means it can be easily replaced in case of a major failure. However, an indication of the ash pan and nearby components was needed. So I nicked Coachmann’s idea and made a simple screw-on unit.
     
     
     

     
    Later the ashpan was painted and Archer's rivets applied.
     
     
    Tender
     

      
    The Oxford tender is generally a good representation of the 2500 gallon variant, but various mods were needed to backdate it to 1900s condition. First, the fenders were cut off using a scalpel, and the area was filed clean.
     
     
     
     
     
    The protecting plates at the rear and front were too high for my 1900s prototype, and were therefore filed down to appropriate height and shape.
     
     
     

     
    I left the casing for the water filler untouched. Subsequent discussions suggest that the shape may have been different during this period - but I will leave it for now.
     
     
     

     
    Next up were the coal rails. I first tried cutting some 10 thou Evergreen on my  Silhouette cutter. It looks OK here, but as might be expected it was just too flimsy.
     
     

     
     
    Instead I used wire from Eileen’s Emporium, halfround as per the prototype. I considered soldering but thought the joints might come undone every time I applied heat, so used epoxy. The result is quite solid. 
     
     

     
     
     The uprights were fitted into holes just inside the flare of the tender sides, taking care not to break through the sides. I think the top rail sits a trifle high. Ah well.
     
     
     

     
    Photos suggest that most of the fittings at the front of the Oxford tender are not appropriate for my period.
     

     
     
     
    Replacement toolboxes and air vents from Brassmasters (ex-Finney) were fitted. Maybe the latter should be smaller on a 2500G tender, not sure. Sandboxes were cobbled together from bits of styrene.
     
     
     
     
     
    The front steps of the early 2500g tenders had an inward curve. A couple of round files solved this. The plastic protects the chassis from metal dust.
     

     

     
    Here is the result. 
     
     
     


    The finished tender (less brake gear).
     
     
     

     
    Loco and modified tender.
     
     
    Painting and lining

    The loco in primer. 
     
     
     

     
    After recovering from an "orange peel" disaster I got the paint job done. The green is Vallejo 70.850 with a touch of black (5:1), the red is 70.814. 
     

     

     
    Lining was done with HMRS Pressfix transfers.
     
     
     

     
    One side done. The triple panels on the tender were tricky.

     
     

     
    Halfway through I ran out of lining, and discovered that new HMRS lining sheets are a different colour from the older ones.  The samples above show the old sheet, and three new sheets. The latter came directly from the HMRS, whose own illustration still shows the older shade. A Fox sheet is also featured. In the end I cobbled together the remaining lining from an old sheet, using 26 pieces for one cabside . It does show in places.
     
     
    Final details
     

     
    Cab windows were made by filing and sanding the teeth off watchmaker's cogs.
     
     
     

     
    The glazing was cut on my Silhouette cutter.
     
     
     

     
    Not perfect, but I can live with it.
     
     
     

     
    Bit of fun: The Oxford model comes with a choice of coarse or fine screw link couplings (bottom two).  I modified mine by adding a “Tommy bar” (top), fashioned from a part that I found in my box of watchmaker’s spares.
     
     
     

     
    A last few shots of the loco. Photos of 2487 and some other Dean Goods shows the safety valve slightly off-set from the center of the boiler band, so I copied that. Annoyingly I forgot to add the safety valve lever. Too late now, I can't get in there to fit it properly.
     
     
     

     
    The big compromise is the seam line in the boiler, although I only notice it from certain angles. I  had planned to distract from the join by carrying the lining all round, but experiments showed that it had the opposite effect, so I left it off.  Were I to do it again I would give more attention to matching the angles of the two edges as they meet, which could have been better.
     
     
     

     
    Still, I'm happy enough with it. The short smokebox and piano-lid cylinder cover makes it a bit different from available kit versions. No other comparison intended! 
     
     
     

     
    So that's about it. Loco lamps and crew are on the workbench, and I need to fit couplings bars between the buffers. I also need some work plates, the one seen here is a stand-in of unknown origin. Does anyone know a source of 4mm works plates?
     
     
  20. Mikkel
    I’ve built a new ‘one-size-fits-all’ traverser for my Farthing layouts. 
     
     
     

     
    My latest layout - The Stables - has two levels, so I needed a traverser which could accommodate that. After I had proposed various harebrained schemes, Stu suggested the principle that I have sketched above. This was clearly the way to go. But how?
     
     

     
    After mulling it over I looked at my old traverser (above) and realised that I could kill two birds with one stone. I prefer to have just one traverser for all my layouts, and the old one has served this purpose well. I called the old traverser “The Bumblebee” because it defied all sorts of basic engineering principles – yet still worked. 
     
     

     
    The old Bumblebee was nevertheless beginning to show signs of wear and tear, so I decided to build a new one that could serve all of my layouts, including the new two-level one. For this version I used wood instead of foamboard. With woodwork I just sort of bumble along, so the 'Bumblebee' moniker is also appropriate for Mk2.
     
     

     
    On Mk1 I used tubes to guide the traverser. It worked but was noisy, which led to certain domestic tensions when my wife wanted to watch TV and I wanted to shunt! So I found these “linear sliding guides” on ebay instead.
     
     


    While not as silent as I had hoped (woe is me!) they do slide nicely. The angle braces are from various strata of my “can’t be bothered to sort all this” drawer. Masonite from a broken Ikea frame.
     
     


    Adjustable legs from a Danish timber merchant. I have now standardized on them for my layouts. The rubber pads are a heavy duty type from 3M, essential as they prevent the legs from sliding on the tabletop.
     
     

     
    The cassette was re-used from Mk1. One end of it serves my three single-level layouts (track 1-5). The other end serves the new two- level layout (track 6).
     
     

     
    In order to serve all the layouts, I had to come up with a simple way of shifting between regular single-level operation on my existing layouts, and two-level operation on the new layout. To accommodate this, I made the cassette hinged. When shifting to two-level mode, it is tipped to one side, a strip of cork is placed on the wooden blocks, and the cassette is tipped back in place. The adjustable legs are then raised on one side of the traverser only. Looks more complicated than it is!
     
     

     
    With this, Stu’s original principle has been achieved: Rising gradient, level track.
     
     
     

     
    For operation, traverser and layout are simply pushed together. The 3M rubber pads prevent any sliding. The adjustable legs make vertical alignment easy.
     
     

     
    At the bottom level, a simple stop block is used to ensure that the cassette stops in the right place. This can be rotated down when the traverser is used on my other layouts. 
     
     


    At the upper level, the traverser is stopped automatically as it reaches its outer limit. To avoid the cassette sliding down from this position, I have tentatively fitted some slightly tapered wooden blocks beneath the cassette deck. When they engage the angle braces there is a slight resistance, enough to hold the cassette in place. I'm wondering whether this particular solution will last, but let's see.
     
     

     
    I have tested the traverser on all the four Farthing layouts, and so far I’m pleased with the operation. Here it is working the Down Bay on the (extendable) dining table. The stop block is a recycled kitchen sponge, which squeezes into place. As you can see I am not one to worry about scenic breaks!
     
     
    With the traverser done I can now run trains on the new layout .  Below is a 1-minute video to celebrate.
     
     
     
     
  21. Mikkel
    When in danger or in doubt, get the model railway out. The fourth layout in the Farthing series is taking shape, a welcome relief from the lockdown blues.
     
     

     
    Above is a reminder of the trackplan. So complicated that it broke Templot. Only very advanced modellers can do that.
     
     
     


    A test piece to see what the new Peco Bullhead track is all about. I decided to give Peco a go as a change from handbuilt track. The chairs are wrong for GWR, will be interesting to see how much I notice it. 
     
     
     
     
    One advantage of the new Peco track is that it’s voice controlled.  You simply tell it where to go and it will lay itself.
     
     
     

     
    The layout will be operated as a micro on a daily basis, but I may add a further module for extended operation, or even a direct link to my "Old Yard" layout.
     
     
     

     
    The rear siding therefore extends to the baseboard edge, and is protected by a removeable buffer stop, knocked together from balsa in the stopgap style of the old N&SJR.
     
     
     


    The other stops are standard GWR, built from the Lanarkshire Models kit. In order to fit them on the Peco track, I had to carve off most of the chairs. Have others found a better solution?
     
     
     
     
     
    For replacement, I dug into my stash of C+L GWR chairs. Ironic, as I now have proper GWR chairs next to the Peco ones. Maybe I should slice up some Peco chairs and fit them instead. What a cruel close-up by the way, I need to get out the filler.
     
     

     
    I wanted some sort of 'inset' track for the front siding. Photos suggest that while proper inset track was certainly used in some GWR yards, more pragmatic solutions were preferred when feasible. This includes leaving the four foot unpaved, as seen in the bottom three photos here (all heavily cropped).  That seems to have been a favoured solution where cartage vehicles needed firm ground to off-load or pass alongside the rails, but didn’t have to cross them. I haven’t seen this modelled much, so gave it a go.
     
     
     


    The outer sections of the sleepers were cut off to avoid the chairs fouling the paving. At this point I was seriously wondering why I hadn’t just made my own track! Here, DAS is being applied to the four foot.
     
     
     

     
    The rail was raised slightly above the edging stones to allow for track cleaning. Partly modeller's license, but also in compliance with one or two prototype photos.
     
     
     

     
    While not as elegant as proper inset track, I like how it creates a visual break in the setts.
     
     
     


    The setts were made using old paintbrush heads, fashioned to shape. 
     
     
     


    The material is Forex, a.k.a. ’foamed PVC’ but apparently now without the PVC. The technique also works in DAS clay. The photo is a bit misleading as I used a ruler while pressing the setts, in order to ensure straight lines.
     
     

     
    A scriber was used to individualise a few setts and sort out mistakes.
     
     
     


    The material can be curved slightly if necessary.
     
     

     
    The method has pros and cons. You tend to get a fairly uniform look and it’s hard to avoid the occasional gap between the grooves when pressing down the brush heads. But with practice I found it speedy and tidy, and I like that it can be done away from the layout – especially as I have to work in our living room.
     
     

     
    Drainage channels were made by drawing a screwdriver tip along a ruler…
     
     

     
    …then pressing in setts as appropriate.
     
     


    This drainage channel was done differently, by simply pressing the setts deeper than the surrounding ones.
     
     


    The ground in front of standard GWR stable blocks was often paved with either cement or bricks. I went for red bricks, forgetting that one drawing I have says blue engineering bricks (better quality). I may repaint them, but then again I may not.
     
     


    For the entry to the goods depot, I used a Green Scene roller on blue foam as described in my workbench thread.
     
     

     
    The arched setts are a nod to the yard at Birmingham Moor Street. The Pooley & Sons weighbridge is a Scalelink etch. The weighbridge office is a temporary mock-up. 
     
     

     
     The flagstone pavement was done using the same Forex material as the setts, with the kerbs and flagstones lined out in pencil and then scribed.
     
     

     
    My original plan was that the road the front would be laid with setts, but after encountering this thread I began to examine photos and realized that 1900s urban roads were very often laid with various forms of non-tarred macadam or similar.
     
     
     

     
    Here is Worthing South Street, captioned ca. 1900-1920. Even some parts of central London had streets like this. Sometimes such roads had gutters paved with stone, at other times setts were used or there was no gutter at all. Copyright Getty Images, embedding permitted.
     
     


    Call me a romantic but I like the dry, light and almost ethereal appearance that such roads exhibit in certain summertime photos of the period. I used sanding paper, painted with Vallejo light sand and ivory. It still needs some weathering and a good smattering of horse dung!
     
     
     

     
    For the GWR spearhead fencing, the initial plan was to use an old Scalelink etch - but it's rather fragile for a position at the front of the layout. So I used the Ratio GWR fencing. Photos suggest that the verticals should extend to the ground, beneath the lower horizontal bar. Never mind. The fencing sometimes had supports, may add those in due course.
     
     

     
    I wanted the fencing to be detachable, to allow for close-up photos and easy replacement if I break something. So far it rests in a groove lined with blue tack. If that proves a botch too far, I could try micro magnets. 
     
     

     
    Some stations - e.g. Minehead – had a lovely display of enamel signs mounted on the spearhead fencing.  I used those from Tiny Signs, cut with a scalpel, varnished twice and edged with a brown marker (in that order, otherwise the marker may discolour the sign).
     
     
     


    The signs act as view blocks, and also help draw in the eye to what will become a staff entrance. 
     
     
     


    Here’s Charlie the horse admiring the adverts. He looks a bit out of focus. It must be the provender. In his opinion, the GWR always did mix in too much bran.
     
     
     

     
    Work to be done includes a scratchbuild of a GWR weighbridge office (the mock-up seen here is the old Smiths kit), and one or two other structures. The elevated rear section of the layout is a whole little project in itself,  I'm hoping it will add further depth to the scene.
     
     


    Lastly, an overview shot. It’s all wired up, but I can’t operate it without a traverser. So that’s next.
     
     
  22. Mikkel

    Powsides/Slaters Private Owner wagons

    By Mikkel,


    Wagons
    I wanted some Private Owners for Farthing, so have built a couple of Powsides kits, i.e. painted and pre-lettered Slaters kits. I opted for two Gloucester designs to RCH 1887 specifications, one a 5-plank side-door wagon, the other a 7-plank side- and end-door job. 
     
     

     
    I like the overall appearance, although TBH the small lettering isn’t quite up to current standards. Perhaps I was unlucky, they look fine on the website.
     
     

     
    The kits have blank interior sides, so the moulding pips were filed away and planking was indicated with a scriber.
     
     


    The instructions recommend joining all sides first, then mounting the floor inside. I struggled a bit with this, the floor wasn’t a perfect fit and the sides were lightly curved. Some dismantling and remedial work ensued, but I got there in the end.
     
     


    I used waisted pin-point bearings from MJT. Split spoke wheels on one wagon, and plain spokes for the other one because I ran out. Did some of these wagons eventually receive plain spoke wheels? Otherwise I’ll swop the erroneous set later.
     
     


    Some of the small lettering was a bit damaged or missing as the kits came. I touched it up as best I could. Some bits I simply painted over. I’d rather have absent lettering than odd lettering.
     
     


    The built-up wagons. 
     
     


    Having admired Dave’s lovely builds of the 7mm versions of these kits, I decided to indicate the interior ironwork as he has done. For this I simply used strips of Evergreen (painted darker after this shot).
     
     


    Good interior photos of these wagons are rare, so drawing on discussion by Stephen and other helpful RMwebbers I drew up the above sketch to guide my detailing of the interior. Please note that this is my own rough and ready rendering. There are various unknowns and no one has “signed off” on this sketch. Anyone interested should consult Stephen’s drawing and info here.
     
     


    Interior ironwork in place. The kit does include a hinge for the end door. On some wagon types this was positioned above the top plank, but in this case I fitted it just behind the top plank, based on this discussion.
     
     

     

    Archer’s rivet transfers at the fixed ends.
     
     
     

    Stephen pointed out the “big nuts” that appear on the ends of many Gloucester wagons, extending from the diagonal irons inside. Looking at photos they seem to have been present on both 5-, 6- and 7-planks as seen here left to right (obviously only at fixed ends). 
     
     

     
    The nuts don’t feature in the kit, so I added them. On the 7-planker I drilled holes and stuck in bits of brass. This proved tricky as it’s just by the corner joins, so on the 5-planker I Mek-Pak’ed on bits of plastic rod instead, as seen above.
     
     

     
    As usual: Liquid Gravity and 3mm Sprat & Winkles. I'm always amazed how much difference weight makes to the "feel" of a wagon. The couplings too: Ugly they may be, but they turn it into a working vehicle.
     
     


    Weathering the interior with pigments. The “Sinai Dust” seen here is courtesy of the late Mick Bonwick. Thank you, Mick.
     
     

     
    The Ayres wagon. Phil Parker uses a fibre glass brush to fade the lettering on printed RTR wagons. But these are transfers, so would tear (I did try).  Instead I lightly dry-brushed base colour over the lettering. Helps a bit, but not quite as effective. 
     
     

     
    C&G Ayres still exist as a well-known Reading removal company and former GWR cartage agent. This (very) close crop shows one of their removal containers at Reading ca. 1905. 
     
     

     
    But a search of the British Newspaper Archive showed that C&G Ayres were also at one time coal traders [Source: Reading Mercury Oxford Gazette March 9, 1918]. So I need to decide whether to designate the Ayres wagon for coal or furniture. I wonder if this explains the difference between the red Powsides livery and the green wagon livery that I normally associate the company with.
     
     
     

     
    The Weedon wagon. You can just make out the nuts on the ends, but they aren't really noticeable. The effort would arguably have been better spent detailing the brake gear!
     
     

    I had assumed the Weedon Brothers were mainly coal and coke merchants, but again newspapers and directories of the time offered further info. [Source: Kelly's Directory of Berks, Bucks & Oxon, 1911]. It seems that manure was also a key aspect of their business. The company features on the right in this directory clipping - amongst lime burners, loan offices, lunatic asylums and other essentials of progress!
     
     


    Though based at Goring, the Weedon Brothers had stores in a number of places, as illustrated in the above 1889 advert. I’m inclined to designate the wagon for manure rather than coal. I wonder what that would mean for the weathering? Richard's latest book on Wiltshire Private Owners is firmly on my wishlist.
     
     
     

     
    Anyway, the wagons are now running at Farthing. Here's No. 1897 knocking them about in the sidings behind the stables.
     
     

     
    Overall I've enjoyed the build. May have a go at applying my own transfers next time. 
     
     

     
    It's just a couple of plastic wagons of course, but I learnt a lot along the way. That's one of the great things about modelling, every build is an entry point to railway history.  Thanks to everyone for the help.
     
  23. Mikkel

    GWR stables (2): Internet archaeology

    By Mikkel,


    Structures
    I have a thing for GWR stable blocks.  The subject isn't systematically covered in the literature, so in a previous post I tried to obtain a tentative overview of the major types and styles. Since then I’ve been searching Britain from Above, Google street view and old online  maps looking for past and present traces of stable blocks. It's all a bit esoteric, but for what it's worth here is a selection of my favourite 'finds'.
     
     
    Westbury
     

     
    It's 1929 and a plane soars over Westbury, capturing the photo above. The small stable block with the distinctive roof vents can be seen at the entry to the goods yard, a common and logical location for them (Britain from Above. Embedding permitted).
     
     
     

     
     
    The stable block at Westbury can be seen in this 1901 map.  The station and goods area was later extensively rebuilt, as can be seen in the photos below and in this map. The stables here were built in 1899, with capacity for three horses. Many of the standard stable blocks on the GWR were built around the turn of the century, when the GWR decided to rely less on agents and do more of its own cartage (National Library of Scotland, Creative Commons).
     
     
     

     
    A grainy close-up, showing also the cattle dock. There must have been a lovely whiff in this part of the yard! (Britain from Above. Embedding permitted).
     
     

     
    Toboldlygo of this parish has modelled Westbury stables, using the 4mm Timbertracks kit.
     
     

     
    Note the manure pit, a standard feature. Thanks to Toboldlygo for allowing use of the photos, there's more about the build in his thread.
     
     

     
    So, does anything remain of the Westbury stable block today? A look on Google maps suggests that there is in fact a building more or less in the location where the stables were situated!  (Google Maps, Map data ©2019 Google, Google Fair Use principles).
     
     

     
    But alas, it is only the signal box that was built later. Nothing seems to remain of the stable block (Google Maps, Map data ©2019 Google, Google Fair Use principles).
     
     
    Basingstoke
     

     
    The stable block at Basingstsoke has had a happier fate. Well, sort of. Lost in a sea of cars, it is seen here on Google Maps in the guise of - appropriately - a car wash. Thanks to Western Star for the tip (Google Maps, Map data ©2019 Google, Google Fair Use principles).
     
     

     
    This 1949-68 series map shows how  the stables at Basingstoke were originally located at the perimeter of the goods yard, near the road. The structure does not appear in pre-1914 maps (National Library of Scotland, Creative Commons).
     
     

     
    The Basingstoke stable block in Google street view. Looks like the car park has been covered since the first photo was taken (Google Maps, Map data ©2019 Google, Google Fair Use principles).
     
     

     
    Details of the roof vents on the Basingstoke block, which appear to be in original condition (though not the colour!). The vents are often a useful distinguishing feature when looking for stable blocks in aerial photos etc (Google Maps, Map data ©2019 Google, Google Fair Use principles).
     
    Chipping Norton

     
    The stable block at Chipping Norton was built in in 1904. In 1929 it was converted - like a number of other stables - to a garage for GWR motor buses  (National Library of Scotland, Creative Commons).
     
     

     
    Alan Lewis' excellent photo of the Chipping Norton stable block in 1983 (Copyright and courtesy Alan Lewis).
     
     

     
    The stable block at Chipping Norton lives on today, the only remaining building of that station (Google Maps, Map data ©2019 Google, Google Fair Use principles).
     
     

     
    There's a Royal Mail facility next to it, so the delivery theme hasn't entirely gone (Google Maps, Map data ©2019 Google, Google Fair Use principles).
     
     

     
    The stable block itself seems to be on private property now. It isn't much to look at from the road, but think of all the stories it could tell ! (Google Maps, Map data ©2019 Google, Google Fair Use principles).
     
     
    Slough
     

     
    Moving on to the larger types, this is the stable block at Slough in 1928, again conveniently situated between road and yard (Britain from Above. Embedding permitted).

     
     

     
    The Slough stable block was a fairly large example of what I call the "Archetype" design. The large variants of this design were simply "stretched" versions of the smaller versions. Note the horse drawn vehicles outside. I wonder if they were parked there overnight  (Britain from Above. Embedding permitted).
     
     
     

     
    Like most stable blocks of the standard designs, the one at Slough had no windows at the back, presumably to keep things quiet for the horses. Prairies on the line!  (Britain from Above. Embedding permitted).
     
     

     
    Today’s, er, view. The stable block was approx. where blue container/lorry is (Google Maps, Map data ©2019 Google, Google Fair Use principles).
     
    Park Royal
     

     
    An aircraft passes over modern day London NW. The red line below shows the extent of what used to be the main GWR goods yard at Park Royal (Google Maps, Map data ©2019 Google, Google Fair Use principles).
     
     

     
    Back in the heyday of the GWR, Park Royal had a 12-stall stable block  (National Library of Scotland, Creative Commons).
     
     


    The stable block at Park Royal was almost identical to the one at Slough, but had an extra door and room for fodder. It is seen here in 1930, illustrating how substantial these buildings were (Britain from Above. Embedding permitted).
     
     

     
    Here is the Park Royal stable block again in the 1950s, now a good deal shorter! Part of the building has been torn down and has been turned into a garage or similar (Britain from Above. Embedding permitted).
     
     

     
    My 4mm model of the Park Royal stable block. Details here.
     
     
    Handsworth & Smethwick
     

     
    Multi-storey stable blocks were only found in the major urban areas, where space was in high demand. So far the smallest multi-storey block I have come across is the one at Handsworth & Smethwick, as seen on the Warwickshire Railways site. 
     
     

     
    The two storey stable block is seen at the bottom of this map, showing one of the yards at Handsworth & Smethwick. A single storey stable block was located next to it, and can be seen to the right in the photo above  (National Library of Scotland, Creative Commons).
     
     

     
    I was intrigued to find that the lower sidings of the yard can still be seen on Google maps at the time of writing, now apparently a scrap yard (Google Maps, Map data ©2019 Google, Google Fair Use principles).
     
     
     

     
    It's hard to be certain, but I wonder if the yellow structure top center in this view is in fact the cut-down and shortened remains of the old two-storey stable block? The location and door/window relationship fits - though one window on the left side is missing (Google Maps, Map data ©2019 Google, Google Fair Use principles).
     
     
    Paddington Mint

     
    Lastly, a look at the big one - Paddington Mint stables. (Britain from Above. Embedding permitted.)
     
     

     
    The original stables here were built in 1878, but expanded and rebuilt several time since then.  I've often thought that the interior yard and ramps would make an interesting diorama. There's good info and drawings in Janet Russel's "Great Western Horsepower" (Getty Images, embedding perimitted).
     
     

     
    A modern day view of the Mint stables (Google Maps, Map data ©2019 Google, Google Fair Use principles).
     
     

     
    The stables now house St Mary's Hospital (Google Maps, Map data ©2019 Google, Google Fair Use principles).
     
     
     

     
    I found a 1922 view of Paddington Mint on  Britian from Above, and zoomed in. Two horses can be seen on the upper level, bringing life to the scene (Britain from Above. Embedding permitted).
     
     

     
    I tried to zoom in further to see the horses better. But it's a funny thing, the past: When you try to pin it down...
     
     

     
    ....it slips through your fingers.
     
    Edit: If the images re-appear following the Dediserve failure, see the following in the discussion below:
    * Tim V's excellent photos of the stable blocks at Witney, Shrewsbury, Westbury, Shipston and Abingdon
    * Methusaleh's find of the remaining stable block at Birmingham Hockley
    * Ian Major's views of the stable block at Littleton & Badsey
     
     
  24. Mikkel

    The four phases of modeller's recovery

    By Mikkel,


    Musings
    I had a setback with my Dean Goods. I was spraying on some varnish in preparation for lining, when this happened:
     

     
    Orange peel - or something similar!
     
    There followed the usual process, so well described in Dr Mindbender’s insightful ”Coping with Failure in Railway Modelling: The Four Phases of Modeller’s Recovery” (Wild Swan, 2019):
     
    Phase 1:  Despair (”Why me, Lord?”) 

     
     
    Phase 2:  Resentment (”Stupid model!”)

     
     
    Phase 3: Detachment (”It's only a model.”)

     
     
    Phase 4: Comeback (”Bring it on, orange peel!”)

     
     
    Moving from phase 1 to 4 can take hours or years, depending on circumstances. I have projects in the cupboard that seem permanently stuck at phase 2 (resentment)! 
     
    In this case it went a bit faster. I was at stage 3 (detachment) and about to reach for a wagon kit when a sudden surge of inner strength (a.k.a whisky) prompted a search for "how to strip paint off a glued model".  The results suggested that a bath in IPA might do the trick. It did, with a little help from a tooth brush.
     
     

     

    Things are now more or less back on track. Due to the 'toothbrushing' and rubbing with Wet & Dry, the edges seem to have lost a little crispness in the process (this is styrene after all, not brass) but it's not too bad, and I'm just happy that the whole thing didn't fall apart. Re-painting is now underway. Phew!
     

     
     
     
  25. Mikkel
    This is the second part of an account by Pickle S. Finkerbury - railway historian and time traveller - describing certain key events in the evolution of GWR wagon brakes at the turn of the last century. Part one is here. 
     
     

     
    Just as the bewildered L.R. Thomas was about to regain composure, an elegantly dressed man approached them. It was none other than...
     



    …George Jackson Churchward, at this time the Chief Assistant to William Dean at Swindon Works. 
     
     
     
     
     'Ah, Thomas’ said Churchward, ‘I see that you are entertaining yet another young lady with your brake design. Have you also informed her that it is in fact rather impractical to operate, and has never been widely applied on our railway?’
     
     


    With a sly wink at Miss Havisham, Churchward continued: 'Now if I may, Miss Havisham, I think that you had better come with me. There are certain things I would like to discuss with you in private'.
     
     


    And with that, Churchward directed Miss Havisham firmly away. 
     
     


    Thomas remained behind, alone and humiliated. How he hated Churchward! So confident, so charming, so progressive. And such a genius, an undeniable genius. And now he had gone off with Miss Havisham. It all seemed so unfair!
     
     


    Then a voice called out from the shadows. 
     

    It was the Great Man himself: William Dean, Chief Locomotive Engineer of the GWR. 
      
     

     
    Speaking softly, Dean said: 'Thomas, walk with me a little, will you?'
     
     


    As they strolled around the yard, Dean said: 'I know how you feel, Thomas. That painful realization that one has been surpassed by someone younger and brighter. It happened to me the first time I met Churchward. He was only 19, but I knew immediately that he would eclipse me one day. I have come to accept it. Indeed, I have made it my special mission to harness new talent, rather than fight it. Speaking of which…'
     
     


    Dean hesitated a moment, then went on: 'Thomas, it is time I confided in you. That young lady, Miss Havisham, she is not the first of her gender to display a talent for engineering. Yet we obviously cannot employ women as proper engineers! To do so would damage the reputation of our great company, and make it impossible to get anything approved by the Board.'
     


     
    Pausing to shudder at the thought of the Board, Dean continued: 'So Churchward and I have devised a little, ahem, working arrangement. Churchward recruits the most talented young ladies and employs them as clerks, secretaries and tracers. But in reality they spend most of their time supplying us with ideas and inspiration, which we then put to good use in our designs.' 
     
     

     
    Thomas, finding it all rather hard to believe, exclaimed: 'So Churchward is now in the process of recruiting Miss Havisham?'
     
     

     
    'Well, ah, not quite', said Dean, 'Miss Havisham has actually been working with us for some time, developing our new wagon brake design. The design that will replace your own, er, valiant effort. We have great hopes for her. So far we have mainly employed these talented women in locomotive development, but we have plans to roll out their skills in the Wagon & Carriage Department too. Assuming of course that you, as Manager of that department, agree?'
     
     

     
    Thomas hesitated. When Dean saw this, his voice became suddenly icy: 'I can assure you, Thomas, that this arrangement is proving to be very productive for the company. And we must always consider the interests of the company before our own, must we not?'
     
     
     
     
    And with that, Dean walked away.
     
     

     
    For a moment, Thomas felt utterly lost and abandoned, sensing the advent of a new world that he did not understand, and which did not seem to need him.
     
     

     
    Then the clouds parted, the saddle tank whistled, and Miss Havisham appeared in a burst of steam.  
     
     

     
    She looked straight at him, smiled, and said: ‘Thomas, we are leaving. Will you join us?’. 
     
     

     
    And he saw in her eyes a thousand ideas and all possible futures imaginable. He forgot the jealousy and the craving for recognition, and realized what could be achieved if they worked together. He saw the furnaces burning, the blacksmiths sweating and the shining steel of a million well-oiled wagon brakes. And he said :'Yes, I am coming, it is time to move on!'
     
    *****
     


    So there you have it, Ladies and Gentlemen. Thanks to my impeccable research, you now know the true story of a critical moment in the evolution of GWR wagon brakes. A few further notes are in order:
     
     

      
    In December 1902, Dean and Churchward patented a wagon brake which soon became widespread across the GWR wagon fleet. It has since become known as the DC1 brake, but the real designer was of course Estella Havisham - seen here with her creation. She remained in her clandestine position at Swindon Works for the rest of her career, and went on to develop many other innovative designs for the company.
     
     


    The fate of L.R. Thomas is less clear, but it is known that he vigorously implemented Estella Havisham’s ideas for the remaining period of his time at Swindon. Their relationship seems to have remained strictly platonic. Rumour has it that he retired early, moved to India, grew a three foot long beard and became the first European to teach the Karma yoga, a principle of selfless action.
     
     

    Meanwhile, Dean and Churchward’s scheme went from strength to strength. Over the years, dozens of women were employed as de facto engineers at Swindon, developing one innovative design after the other. Like so many of those who work in the shadows, they remained unknown - but helped change the world. 
     
     
    Mikkel’s PS: 
    For those who think this sounds too fantastic to be true, I offer the following: 
    Firstly, consider Olive Dennis, a female engineer on the Baltimore & Ohio, whose story has certain similarities with that of Estella Havisham. Secondly, there is this photo, posted on Twitter by STEAM. Officially it shows the “Mileage Office” at Swindon Works, but note the stamp…   
     
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