Zero Gravitas

Just got back from my evening run - I was overtaken by 1501* as I went along the path by the railway on the Ladygrove estate. That engine looks really smart in that black livery! Best Regards, ZG. * This does not imply that 1501 was travelling at any great speed - rather that I wasn't. In fact, I once got overtaken by a powerwalker on the same stretch of path...

Hi Adam, It's not often you need correcting - but I'm afraid that on this occasion I cannot let your error pass . Best Regards, ZG. PS: Very much liking the hopper, as usual. One question - how do you fold up your lever guides and fix them to the wagon? I just can't seem to get the hang of it....

Hi Colin, Thank you for the update - it's coming along! And do the chairs. If you don't, then every time you look at the finished layout, you'll see that they are not there, and you won't see everything that is. Best Regards, ZG.

Hi Craig, in GWR Good Wagons (Atkins Beard and Tourret), on page 379 is is stated that the V5s were built with DC1, but during WWII "many vans had the DCI brake mechanism changed to the DCIII arrangement with right-hand either-side hand levers, but no additional brake shoes were fitted" I haven't seen any photgraphic eveidence of this either, but on page 57 of the same book there is a photo of V5 69966 from 17 May 1950, showing that it had retained the DCI arrangement, but retrofitted with cross-corner fittings. Apologies, if I'm just repeating what you said, but I wasn't sure what you meant by the "extra lever". Best Regards, ZG.

Hi Adam - coming along very nicely! Yes please to the weathering approach - it's always good to get a different perspective. Best Regards, ZG.

Adam, probably a bit late now, but during a clear-out earlier today I chanced upon the January 83 edition of RM, which includes an article on the mineral rebuilds to coil wagons, and includes drawings and photographs of the cradles. It's yours if you would like it - PM me if you'd like me to post it to you. Best Regards, ZG.

Quick question - do Branchlines have a website? It's probably a PICNIC problem, but I can't find it... Thanks in advance - and apologies if I've inadvertantly hijacked the thread... Best Regards, ZG.

Hi Adam, very nice work - as always, and the Rumney chassis certainly has that extra finesse! However - permission to ask a question. Your Rumney-chassised shocvan doesn't have any external springing (if that's a word) on the solebars. I wasn't aware of any shocvan diagrams that didn't - but of course I could be wrong (and I remember our conversation about Southern open wagons and the perils of research and assertion). I did find a picture in David Larkin's "Wagons of the Middle British Railways Era" (on page 59) that does show B854527 which does not have external springing, but does not have any stripes either, although it is clearly a shocvan chassis. However, I then looked in Trevor Mann's "British Railways Unfitted and Vacuum Fitted Wagons", and found on page 58 a picture of B854662 (from the same lot - 3117 - as B854527), and found in the description that the springs had been moved to the centreline of the van in "an attempt to reduce staff injuries". Coincidentally, I also found out that a lot of shocvan traffic was moving tinplate to the factories of Metal Box Ltd, for whom I worked for 25 years. The pictures tend to show the centre of the three stripes to be on the LH door - although B854662 has what can only be described as squares, rather than stripes. There - that was longer than originally intended - hope you don't mind. I've made a mental note to myself to get out more. Best Regards, ZG. PS: Your red panda van, B855090, was from lot 3224, which based on a picture of B855008 in Larkin (ibid - page 59), did have the external springs... PPS: Edited for typos...

Update following my post yesterday - read the review of the CCT in Model Rail, where it is pointed out that these CCTs had 18" vacuum cylinders rather than the more usual 21". On the model they are just under 6mm diameter, so still slightly small, but TBH close enough for me not to worry about it. There's also a handrail missing from the ends - but the photos I have seem to show this as being on the LH side only as you look at the end. Best Regards, ZG.

My maroon version arrived this morning (excellent service from Invicta) - and very nice it is too. I agree with previous posters that the vacuum cylinders are underdeveloped, and I think I will change these, and add safety loops where appropriate, and the dynamo drive belt, but there's not much else that needs doing. One question, however - the ends are painted maroon. I have it in my mind that the ends would have been painted black, but I am happy to be corrected. And anyway, I suspect that generally they were so filthy that it would have been difficult to tell! Thanks in advance. Best Regards, ZG

PMP99 - I could rewrite your post verbatim, but substituting "Shark" for "Hawksworth"! I've only ever had excellent service from Hattons - and I have to say I've never had a problem with Yodel either (which has now jinxed it...) Best Regards, ZG (Edited because the "quote" functionality doesn't appear to working...)

Can I just thank all concerned with the last few posts for having the extreme self-control not to mention blowing the bl**dy doors off. And excellent modelling from Mr. Castle! As a resident of Didcot, I follow this thread with interest. Best Regards, ZG.

Hi Adam, I haven't got volume 4, I'm afraid. However, I know where there is a copy - and I'll have a look in the library at Pendon next time I'm "on duty" there. You're right - it is irritating, but I console myself with the thought that if this is the most irritating thing in my life at the moment, then things can't be too bad :-) I've actually got a Cambrian diagram 1400 (which I'm pretty sure retained 1400 after vacuum fitting) on the workbench at the moment - and I think I'll do a bit of experimenting with the capping strip approaches. I'll let you know how I get on... Best Regards, ZG.

Hi Adam and Colin, 1. Re diagram 1375 - You're quite right, that nice Mr. Bartlett has fitted and unfitted as diagram 1375 (as does Terry Gough in his book "A Pictorial Guide to Southern Wagons and Vans) - but in Mike King's new book "Southern Wagons in Colour" he says (on page 22) that after diagram 1375 wagons were fitted with vacuum brakes they were reallocated to diagram 1389... 2. All of the fruit wagons, and the bloaters and Minks C and D definitely had rod tie-bars, but the Mink G had strip (so the Parkside kit is correct) - so I'm adding L-section to my shopping list for Railex at the end of May. 3. Colin - I make my capping strip clips the same way John Hayes does in the "4mm Coal Wagon" - wrap a thin strip of 5 thou plasticard around a 1mm x 3mm brass strip, hold in boiling water for a few seconds, cut along each long face et voila - lots of 1.5mm x 1mm x 1.5mm clips! I use a cut-down wooden coffee stirrer, but the principle is the same. If that's not clear I could probably put up a couple of photos to help clarify. Best Regards, ZG.

Hi Adam, Regarding the Southern Open (guessing it's a diagram 1389 - and very nicely done too); 2 quick questions, if I may... (1) Are you using "L" section for the tie bar between the W-irons? (2) Have I been labouring under the delusion that the prototype tie bar was just a rectangular-section strip for the last 40 years? Either way, if it is L=section, that's a really clever way of getting a bit more strength into the tie bar. I've got a Parkside Mink G where I've replaced the plastic tie bar with n/s strip, but it's still a bit fragile TBH. Using an L-section would beef it up considerably. Thanks very much in advance. Best Regards, ZG.

Apologies if I'm butting in, but after 57xx's post I went straight to my copy of "Southampton's Railways" by Bert Moody (ISBN 0-906899-78-8) and on page 112 in the lower photograph, there is indeed a pent-roofed wagon towards the LH side of the picture... It's not a great photo and from a distance, but I have to say that I think the Fat Controller's suggestion is correct - it looks to me more like a lime or salt wagon - the roof seems to start too low down to be a van (although it is higher than the van to its immediate right). Best Regards, ZG.

Colin - hope it's OK to add this to your thread, but it's where the original discussion occurred... Stationmaster - of course you were right and Amazon was wrong. Bought my copy from Kevin Robertson at the Southampton show yesterday, and asked him about the discrepancy on Amazon. Apparently the intention was originally to document 1946 through to closure, but so much new material from the earlier years came to light during research that the whole life of the line is now covered. The title is officially "The Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway: a new history 1882 - 1966", it now runs to 328 pages, and the price is £38.00. ISBN is the same. Had a flick through last night, and am hoping to start reading properly this evening. Worth every penny, in my opinion (usual "satisfied customer" disclaimer applies). Best Regards, ZG.

Hi Colin, Good to see the next instalment of this! Forgive me if this is old ground for you, but I think my concern would be the vertical separation between Burgclere and Southampton. A far as I can tell, it will be 12" vertical separation between railheads, as it were; and by the time baseboard and framing is taken into account, this will be more like 9" from top of railhead to underside of Burghclere (if you see what I mean). This is probably OK with a baseboard width of 12" - but Southampton is going to be about 36" wide and my fear would be that access to the back of the boards will be a problem. So - would there be any possibility to increase the vertical separation? Two thoughts came to me - either add more "turns" to the spiral or perhaps (and this is another Rice idea on page 118 of the book) use a "train stacker" to provide the means of both moving trains between levels and for train storage. Perhaps it could be located at the left-hand end of the cellar? Hope that's of some help - and apologies if you've been through this already and dismissed it. Best Regards, ZG.

Thank you for this information - I hope you don't think I'm being pedantic, as any DNS material is welcome; but I've just pre-ordered my copy on Amazon, and they are showing the title for this ISBN as "The Didcot Newbury and Southampton Railway - the Final Years: 1948 - 1966". This suits me perfectly - but others may be more interested in the earlier period. Best Regards, ZG

Hi Colin, I'm very much enjoying this thread - thank you for sharing. However, just to be slightly mischievous for a moment: I've always fancied doing a model of Burghclere myself, also making the assumption that the lime kilns stayed open; but making a further assumption that the proposed light railway from burgclere to Kingsclere had been built in 1902, and had been amalgamated into the DNSR... I just thought I'd mention it as it might be an opportuntity to (1) consider the "fictional" parts of Mr. Rice's books as well, and (2) had the Colonel been involved with the original light railway you could deal with that pipe dream as well Please keep up the good work! Best Regards, ZG

57xx - two comments (1) Excellent work, in particular the wooden interiors. (2) Brilliant tip about using Bill Bedford's handrail bending jig as the drilling guide as well. I'd never have thought of that... Best Regards, ZG

Using lego as a square - that's an idea of genius! Just off to raid my son's lego box.... Best Regards, ZG.

No problem - you're welcome. I've made quite a few wagons with GW DCI, II, and III brakegear - and that's even more difficult to work out exactly what needs to go where; so it's something to which my eye tends to be drawn... And it is a lovely model - I look forward to seeing a rake of 20 :-) Best Regards, ZG

Firstly, that's a really, really nice model of the prototype - and the finesse of the brass body really shows up when compared to the resin casting. However, um, call me Mr. Picky if you will (and I'm quite happy to be wrong), but I think the inner brake shoes are on the wrong way round in your test builds - if you move your brake lever down then that will result in the inner brake shoes being moved away from the wheels... (I think the brakes on the Judith Edge chassis picture is correct). I hope that makes sense - and sorry if I've got it wrong! Best Regards, ZG.

That set me thinking - and here's a question - was "Leader" a Garratt? Or was it a Mallet? Or was it something completely different? Best Regards, Zero Gravitas.