Annie's Virtual Pre-Grouping, Grouping and BR Layouts & Workbench

[MikeOxon]

4 hours ago, Annie said:

I know nothing at all about this twin Crampton locomotive's history beyond it being some variety of experiment.  And before you ask the locomotives are named 'Castor' and 'Pollux'.

Was this a 'real world' experiment or just in simulation?  I find nothing on Google.  It looks great fun though -  weird Fairlie or an 'inside-out' Garratt perhaps!  Is the coal kept on the top of the firebox with just a water-cart as tender?

 

It makes this engine look sensible:

Edited December 11, 2021 by MikeOxon
added link

[Annie]

4 minutes ago, MikeOxon said:

Was this a 'real world' experiment or just in simulation?  I find nothing on Google.  It looks great fun though -  weird Fairlie or an 'inside-out' Garratt perhaps!  Is the coal kept on the top of the firebox with just a water-cart as tender?

Yes Mike the coal is carried in a bunker on the top of the boiler and the tender is just a water cart.  Even though it's an older 3D model with simplified detailing there are too many things about it that indicate that it's based on a real world example rather than being a spot of imaginative kite flying.  It's described as being an experimental Crampton locomotive from 1852, but whether the experiment only went as far as being a set of GA drawings or was actually built I can't really say.

I know the twin locomotive format with two identical engines coupled back to back was something that was tried out by various railways during the 19th century, but the experiment nearly always ended up with the locomotives being separated and returned to a conventional configuration again.

[Annie]

If I'm going to start waving Cramptons about I couldn't forget these two.   The layout  where this engine shed is sited is  'Bbranchline' by Darkdan who would have to be one of the best layout builders for Trainz bar none.  Back in TS2004 days he was building absolutely amazing layouts using the limited resources available back then and somehow managed to combine those resources to craft landscapes that can still give layouts built in TANE and TS2019 a run for their money.

Thought I'd lost my copy of 'Bbranchline', but I hadn't which was a HUGE relief.  Darkdan had originally built the layout edging into the dismal infested modern error and I'd carefully rebuilt it to be a couple of decades earlier which had involved changing all kinds of things like vehicles, platform shelters, roads & etc.  With such an incredibly well detailed layout to search it took me ages to go through every village and lineside factory/warehouse/industry looking for modernist deviancy, but overall I think I managed to make a reasonably sympathetic job of it without making a mess of everything.  The layout is set in an imaginary part of Belgium by the way, - though I have been very naughty with running French trains, - mainly EST and NORD, - all over it.   My excuse is that I can't understand French signals and Belgian signals are a lot more sensible.

I don't really know why I spent a couple of months working on this layout when I've always been a British modeller.  I must've got a bee in my bonnet over something and decided to go off to Belgium for a while to have a good sulk.

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by Annie
can't spell for toffee

[Annie]

This Crampton model was made by bernie92 who has made a number of French rolling stock models including a fabulous set of 1880s Wagon-Lits 6 wheel coaches.

 

 

Edited December 12, 2021 by Annie
Um.........

[Annie]

 

The things I end up doing.  Some of the old magic scripts for passenger coaches no longer work in the latest versions of Trainz so some of the members of the creator group who know all about magical script incantations for Trainz have been working on making new instruction scripts to replace the broken ones.  I originally built 'Cairnrigg to Balessie' as a test track and even though it eventually became a layout it's still useful for testing out things like magical scripts.

[Edwardian]

2 hours ago, Annie said:

 

The things I end up doing.  Some of the old magic scripts for passenger coaches no longer work in the latest versions of Trainz so some of the members of the creator group who know all about magical script incantations for Trainz have been working on making new instruction scripts to replace the broken ones.  I originally built 'Cairnrigg to Balessie' as a test track and even though it eventually became a layout it's still useful for testing out things like magical scripts.

 

You see all sorts of things on a preserved line!

[Edwardian]

Your Cramptons - Ils sont magnifiques!

[rocor]

The magnificent Cramptons.  (Les magnifiques Cramptons).

 

The information regarding Thomas Russell Crampton's locomotives that would have the most interest to me, would be of the LDCR Tiger class before they were rebuilt  as 2-4-0's.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LCDR_Tiger_class

 

Dead history is what I am probably fruitlessly seeking for.

 

[Annie]

More Aldeburgh station cheer up pictures:  Aldeburgh Station early 1900s. Transport lined up to take visitors and luggage to their hotels or other accommodation, The horse drawn coach in the middle is the East Suffolk Hotel Transport coach.

(Edward Lawrence collection)

 

 

An interior photo of Aldeburgh station looking towards the buffer stops and Victoria Road August 1964

(Edward Lawrence collection)

Edited December 12, 2021 by Annie
added a picture

[Annie]

More of the French Crampton brought to you by Sparrowcam (TM).  The coaches are from the 1880's Orient Express set made by the same maker as the locomotive.

 

 

Edited December 13, 2021 by Annie
Um.........

[Tom Burnham]

Formidable!

[Annie]

Morning GWR cheer up picture:   Metro tank No 1403, built in May 1878 at Swindon, and withdrawn in November 1930.  In December 1949, the last of the class of 140 ‘Metro’ 2-4-0 passenger tank locomotives was withdrawn. This was number 3588 from Oxford shed. Seven of these locomotives built between 1869 and 1899 had survived into 1949.

It's a pity none of the Metro tanks survived to be preserved.  I like Metro tanks.

 

 

I've got a clockwork one 

 

 

Edited December 13, 2021 by Annie
Added moving pictures

[Annie]

Still pottering away with working on tidying up 'Cairnrigg to Balessie'.  It was a bit of a frustrating day today because I kept suddenly falling asleep in the middle of things.  I managed to put a broad green stripe of rough grass texture through the middle of Balessie goods yard when I suddenly nodded off, but at least it was easy to fix.  The 'Undo' button is my friend.

 

[MikeOxon]

On 11/12/2021 at 11:49, Annie said:

As a result of my enquiry I was able to obtain a very nice LC&DR Crampton and also ....... this.   I know nothing at all about this twin Crampton locomotive's history beyond it being some variety of experiment.  And before you ask the locomotives are named 'Castor' and 'Pollux'.

While browsing the web, I came across this 'double' engine at https://www.gutenberg.org/files/54383/54383-h/54383-h.htm - Title: The American Railway Its Construction, Development, Management, and Appliances

 

The description is: In 1831 the the South Carolina Railway Company had another engine, the "South Carolina", which was designed by Mr. Horatio Allen, built at the West Point Foundry. It was remarkable in having eight wheels, which were arranged in two trucks. One pair of driving-wheels, D D and D′ D′, and a pair of leading-wheels, L L and L′ L′, were attached to frames, c d e f and g h i j, which were connected to the boiler by kingbolts, K K′, about which the trucks could turn. Each pair of driving-wheels had one cylinder, C C′. These were in the middle of the engine and were connected to cranks on the axles A and B.

[Annie]

6 hours ago, MikeOxon said:

While browsing the web, I came across this 'double' engine at https://www.gutenberg.org/files/54383/54383-h/54383-h.htm - Title: The American Railway Its Construction, Development, Management, and Appliances

Praise be for Gutenberg.org.  They have all manner of interesting railway books on their virtual shelves.  Double engines and twin engines seem to have been one of those things that more than a few engineers flirted with during the mid to late 19th century.

I'm not so sure that a single cylinder on each bogie was the best idea though.  I wonder how often that pry bars had to be employed to get it to move from rest,

 

And not quite the best kind of Broad Gauge cheer up picture this morning.  Saddle Tank No.2128 'Leopard' hauling the very last Up Cornishman from Penzance on the morning of May 20th, 1892.  The photo isn't in the best condition, but there's still some interesting details to see.  Look at that chaired bullhead mixed gauge trackwork for a start.  The WCR were always a pack of apostate unbelievers.   Photos of late period trackwork aren't all that common and aren't easy to find.

 

[Annie]

Been difficult to stay awake, but in between wandering off into the Dreamworld I've been doing various repairs and adjustments to my mid-19th century engines and rolling stock..

 

It was my E&GR Hurst 0-4-2WT's turn to get some fettling.  These are really useful engines so I was pleased that it didn't take much to get them sorted out in TRS22.  One amusing thing though, - the steam physics has been revised in this latest version and so far all has been good, but it was surprising to see the steam from the whistles bouncing off the end of the brake second coupled behind the engine.  I don't think it's supposed to do that.  As it happens the old TS2004 steam animation for the whistles isn't all that good anyway in TRS22 so I deleted the config file entry as a quick fix.

 

 

 

 

 

[MikeOxon]

A wonderfully colourful train - for me, the main driver for modelling early railways

 

[Compound2632]

On 14/12/2021 at 12:50, MikeOxon said:

While browsing the web, I came across this 'double' engine at https://www.gutenberg.org/files/54383/54383-h/54383-h.htm - Title: The American Railway Its Construction, Development, Management, and Appliances

 

The description is: In 1831 the the South Carolina Railway Company had another engine, the "South Carolina", which was designed by Mr. Horatio Allen, built at the West Point Foundry. It was remarkable in having eight wheels, which were arranged in two trucks. One pair of driving-wheels, D D and D′ D′, and a pair of leading-wheels, L L and L′ L′, were attached to frames, c d e f and g h i j, which were connected to the boiler by kingbolts, K K′, about which the trucks could turn. Each pair of driving-wheels had one cylinder, C C′. These were in the middle of the engine and were connected to cranks on the axles A and B.

 

Hum. The examiners of Fairlie's patent were probably not aware of this!

 

It took a surprisingly long while for locomotive builders to grasp the idea that using the boiler as the main structural element really isn't a good idea.

 

 

[Annie]

Morning cheer up picture:  "Tickets please".

 

 

 

[MikeOxon]

The book I referred to earlier "The American Railway Its Construction, Development, Management, and Appliances" has some extraordinary illustrations.  Since you like Cramptons, Annie, how about this:

While the book is very pleased to highlight American inventiveness, it doesn't pay much attention to developments elsewhere!

[Annie]

18 minutes ago, MikeOxon said:

Since you like Cramptons, Annie, how about this:

Words fail me..........

[Annie]

47 minutes ago, MikeOxon said:

While the book is very pleased to highlight American inventiveness.........

Seriously though those Camden & Amboy locomotives were mechanical abominations from one end to the other.  Somebody or another from the railroad, - I forget who, - went to Europe, saw some Cramptons and came back without so much as a rough sketch in his pocket and then proceeded to build those unbelievably flawed locomotives.  Apart from anything else they did in the way of mechanical horrors they attempted to save weight when building their first one by making the boiler shell perilously thin.  What is even more unbelievable is that they went on to build several more even after it was plain that they were far from being fit for purpose. 

[Caley Jim]

1 hour ago, Annie said:

Morning cheer up picture:  "Tickets please".

 

 

 

At least they're forming an orderly queue!

 

Jim

[Compound2632]

@Annie is, I think, following the Didcot Railway Centre's Facebook page (as am I). 

 

So we can shortly expect a photo of the gas turbine locomotive No. 18100...

[Annie]

3 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

So we can shortly expect a photo of the gas turbine locomotive No. 18100...

Wot!!!!

 

Nice elephants out for a trip on the train is one thing, BUT strange modernist contraptions is quite another!

Edited December 16, 2021 by Annie
Um.........