Darwinian

I've been inspired by Bleanserchan's incline too, so will be looking at propelling up the incline to the offstage colliery on my Cwmhir layout. At the moment I'm thinking of letting the GWR do that with panniers but might have to consider making it a PO line up.

Looking good Mozzer.

if I wanted to make up a 5 or 6 carriage set, given there are no 3rd's, would I be better off with an extra comp, or Brake 3rd? I realise there was probably no set rule, or indeed might never had happened - I can't get 8 carriages into Henley!

GWR practice was simply to hang an appropriate additional coach or two on the back. Usually a completely different design. Until broken up in the 1950s these coaches seem to have stayed in their sets.

Congratulations on a superb article on the Prairie for Worseter in MRJ. Real silks purse out of sows ear stuff.

Got my subscription today. The article on upgrading the oxford "toad" is very timely as I picked one up at the Peterborough show with the intention of doing just this (although for 1929-34 I guess I don't need to change the step-board unless they all got changed when the plated sides were done). Having read through it there does seem to be enough detail to follow what was done and how. Taking the end windows down to the plank join was a neat idea that I might (probably) have not thought of. Then I can retire my boyhood ratio cut and shut that doesn't even have separate handrails.

I feel for John Darch, having spent all that effort and ingenuity upgrading the old Airfix GWR prairie only for Hornby to announce a new one on the way later this year.   

I thought people were supposed to be tightening their belts, according to journalists?

Talking about chopping up an RTR model that costs as much a a brass kit from Comet?!!!

My mind is truly boggled

 

Tim T

Modelling Cwm Cynon in EM

That was an observation rather than a recommendation. I certainly couldn't afford to do it even if I wanted to, but prices may come down later it just depends on supply and demand.

At least mine have oval buffers!

They are on one side: http://www.gwr.org.uk/coach-ventilators.html

We had a discussion a while ago about 'which side' (can't find the thread at the moment), and it seems normal 2-coach B-set vehicles were not 'handed', but some of these 4-coach set vehicle diagrams were.

Much of the discussion of these coaches is on my thread in the "Special Interests - GWR Rolling stock: Model and Prototype" section. Sorry I've not figured out how to link to other threads.

I would expect that the 5 coach S. Wales sets could be cut and shut from these. An extra comp and brake/ 3rd should provide enough bits for an all 3rd and extended van ends.

Next up I’m doing a Taff Vale brake van and a Finney Aberdare. Place your bets

Actual first sets were in plain choc and cream with Garter crest an supporters of the official photographs are to be believed.

Good to see with and without bunker side steps. Hope there will be a no cab-side shutters version for pre-mid 30s.

Blast, Hornby have announced these for later this year. Better get them finished quick!

The S. Wales brake coaches also had one less compartment than these I think.

Will have to get my scratchbuilt set finished before these hit the shelves. At least they are not likely to do the 1927 livery.

Like Johnster I use staples. Brass tends to bend a bit too easily and the staples look reasonably close. Nickel Silver steel strip might be another alternative but I've not tried it

Just use a suitable drill bit (or mark a file as Johnster suggested) to form the curve around 1st. Then bend the straight bits and end angled bit. Make twice as many as you need. Half will be virtually identical!

Hi Johnster, I’m looking forward to seeing this progress. Just a couple of things to consider: Assuming you are using the Comet/Wizard underdrame decide whether you are going with the flat fold down trusses or replacing them with angle.

Either way I’ve found a bit of scrap etch soldered across the floor where they are etched stiffens things up nicely. Just make sure its not

I’m the way of anything else.

If you use Vallejo Air acrylics they come in dropper bottles so if you decide to mix your own colours you can quite reliably repeat the same mix later.

I considered that but the battery power source means there is no direction detection. I could get separate reed switches for the lamp LEDs and wave a magnet over the van ends at the terminus.

A Happy New Year to all RMWebbers.

Santa kindly brought me lighting units for the D-set carriages. These are layouts 4 U reed switch operated, battery powered LED strips.

Having not originally planned to fit these I had to come up with a way to hide the battery holder but still leave the roof removable. Luckily I had only put in partitions that reach the top of the sides leaving plenty of space for the lights and wires. The reed switch fits into a 1st class compartment so no problem there.

I decided the easiest way to hide the battery was to build a socket for it in the end seats so that it sits partly in the bow end.

Here is the coach I have completed and the modified seating unit for the second composite.

The brake thirds will have the battery holder hidden in the luggage van. I assume the van would have less lighting (?). 

I also got some 3v red LEDs and 1mm fibre optic which I'm going to try to use to light the tail lamp on the van. This will have to be detachable from the roof lighting so I'll probably have to arrange some connections to the roof strips.

Because the layout is DC and end to end I'll have to put lamps on both vans but I can live with that compromise rather than trying to arrange pick ups and directional switching of the lamps.

I know what you mean about the Hornby Dublo 8f as I used to have one.

Maybe the issue with the 42xx is the tyre surface. I have a sprung 57xx of less weight that can pull more up the inclines.

I’ll try putting even more weight in the 42xx.

That is a most ingenious and simple solution.

I've been pondering how to sort out the lack of flexibility in my Hornby 42xx tank as it loses grip on the incline transitions on my layout because there is no flexibility in the chassis. Not sure how this could be made to work for an 8-coupled though. 

Oh, it's one of the original square axle cut-out, no bearings chassis.

Looks great. Very atmospheric.

Were Dean goods used in S.Wales? I have one but use rule 1 to run it on Cwmhir.

Progress on layout and shed has been limited as my time has been devoted to renovations indoors. I hope to get on more now that is mostly done.

My wife and I really enjoyed our chat with you on Sunday and the layout is just so full of interesting cameos and bits of history. So glad we stopped to have a good look. Hope you had a chance to look around too.

My wife and I really enjoyed our chat with you on Sunday and the layout is just so full of interesting cameos and bits of history. So glad we stopped to have a good look. Hope you had a chance to look around too.

Hmm can’t actually write that sort of reply on my iPod for some reason.

First time I used sat nav to get to the show it brought me to an entrance gate at the wrong end of the showground. I could see cars coming towards me and turning into the parking but the gates in front of me were locked. I’ve used the Oundel road as my target since then.

One of the great virtues of a satnav, but on the other hand it can get me into trouble when the database is wrong.