Schooner's (Mostly Maritime) Musings

[MrWolf]

I'd say why not? The gutter / drain arrangement in the photo I posted goes nowhere, it only serves to stop the falling water drilling a hole between the cobbles.

We've just walked back through jack the ripper alley, this time several drinks and her 3" heels had the memsahib at a disadvantage! 😀

[Schooner]

Goes nowhere, but on a pretty decent slope... I loved the idea of that, but couldn't quite square it with being on the flat, so fudged through to a version that gives me the bits I wanted without, I hope, looking too jarring.

 

Currently painting individual stones and questioning life choices...

 

Thanks for the feedback all, have a good weekend!

[Edwardian]

I am missing something.  What is (potentially) wrong with the drain?  It looked realistic and beautifully executed to me!

[Schooner]

14 hours ago, Edwardian said:

What is (potentially) wrong with the drain? 

Nothing worse than a failure to favour the rule above the exception.

 

The guttering 'should' be along the edge of the road, below the curb kerb [Long day], laid in setts etc etc. Pretty well as per @Regularity's helpful pic.

 

But it isn't, so there! Most importantly, the second lesson in Plasticard (after the shed frames) a success, I think!

Edited May 21, 2022 by Schooner

[Edwardian]

31 minutes ago, Schooner said:

Nothing worse than a failure to favour the rule above the exception.

 

The guttering 'should' be along the edge of the road, below the curb, laid in setts etc etc. Pretty well as per @Regularity's helpful pic.

 

But it isn't, so there! Most importantly, the second lesson in Plasticard (after the shed frames) a success, I think!

 

Not for the first time, I suspect I may be a Victim of Confusion.

 

I was looking at your warehouse,  Though this was difficult because it was upside down ......

 

 

So ....

 

 

 

This seemed to me to be an entirely rational arrangement.  The builder is construction a warehouse.  At that time the kerb might represent the edge of any construction.  Subsequent road or yard surfacing is neither here nor there; I built a warehouse and engineered some drainage for it.

 

 

 

 

 

[Schooner]

14 hours ago, Edwardian said:

I built a warehouse and engineered some drainage for it.

 

True story!

 

On the warehouse, as it crosses my mind, the photos highlight the need for a fair amount of filling - Milliput? - and for painting window panes - dark grey with a gloss finish?

 

The pavement is drawn up and getting painted, pics to follow in the next day or few. 

 

Cheers all,

 

Schooner

[Schooner]

There's been much SCARMage recently. Some of it is relevant to this topic!

 

Can one represent independent West India, East India, Poplar Dock (North London Railway), Poplar Dock (Midland Railway) networks, London and Blackwall Railway, and the Millwall Extension Railway as a fairly traditional Roundy'n'BLT?

 

Watcha reckon:

 

Not particularly serious, but just about ticks the boxes!

 

I don't like it anywhere near as much as the old plan...

...which is a much more immersive experience, but the BLT+roundy scheme is probably a better model railway.

 

Both are pretty tongue in cheek :)

 

[Annie]

The old plan is more interesting and immersive as you say, but the new plan would be a lot easier to live with and operate.

[Edwardian]

Two very different plans.

 

The lower, older, plan is very attractive, but without two operators could rapidly become a pain, with the single operator always feeling isolated from half the layout and/or doing an awful lot of under-board commuting.

[Northroader]

Awfully complicated track.

[Schooner]

6 hours ago, Edwardian said:

but without two operators

 

Or computer control, as planned from the beginning, to handle all traffic trundling up and down the MER, leaving the solo operator to shunt the quaysides. To play a small part in a large, busy show was always part of the attraction of this setup :)

 

2 hours ago, Northroader said:

Awfully complicated track.

Indeed. Does sort of go with the territory, and the approach taken, but it'd be one hell of a thing to get operating smoothly and reliably.

 

Actually spending time playing trains on this*:

...and failing to see where I'd need any more of anything, really :) 

 

Anyway, Ingleford...

 

*Guess whose GOG Small Layouts Vol.3 turned up recently!

[billbedford]

AS you collect more wagons, you will need more sidings. 

[Schooner]

Events!

 

The GWR arrives at Ingleford:

 

Operational pause for a bit of a stretch and glass of wine in the evening sun, deep breath and then...

[Schooner]

 

Fitting subject for last kit of the day :)

[MrWolf]

Interesting, I hope you're going to post some progress pictures of that!

I have one that I really want to get building.

[Schooner]

 

After a bit of a battle with the running gear, took one look at the footboards and decided to draw stumps. Still, solid day's modelling, that :)

 

4 hours ago, MrWolf said:

I hope you're going to post some progress pictures of that!

Got WIP pics from all 4 builds for a full write-up/wot I learned...but not tonight!

[Mikkel]

11 hours ago, Schooner said:

Events!

 

The GWR arrives at Ingleford:

 

 

My favourite wagons, hurrah. They'll blend in well I think. I've also got a D&S Brake Van kit, so very useful to see the build.

 

Looks like you've been stocking up on discontinued kits. A reminder of what has been lost, though perhaps in 5 years we just need to press a button on the smartphone and a fully printed 3-planker will emerge from our left ear. 

 

 

Edited June 12, 2022 by Mikkel

[Compound2632]

5 hours ago, Mikkel said:

perhaps in 5 years we just need to press a button on the smartphone and a fully printed 3-planker will emerge from our left ear. 

 

How dull. What became of the thrill of the chase?

[lanchester]

Just caught up with this thread and the discussion a few pages back about setts, cobbles etc. A couple of observations.

 

Firstly, the line of the kerb may often delineate land ownership, rather than necessarily a sensible layout of roads, pavements etc.

 

Second, you quite often see, 'inside' such a kerb, that the 'paving' is cobbles rather than setts - I assume to discourage traffic from straying onto your property, and indeed from peering through your windows or bashing into your house/factory/warehouse walls.

 

Third, quite often, at least round here (East Cheshire) the main thoroughfares/heavy traffic routes are paved with granite setts - better able to resist iron-shod wheels/horse hooves, whereas pedestrian paving and minor lanes use setts of the local, significantly softer, sandstone. On steep slopes the latter is often laid with the laminae/bedding planes vertical, which gives an interesting texture and more grip, (no idea how you would model it) although I imagine it is less hard-wearing.

 

There is also the question of economics. I imagine granite setts are by some way the most expensive option (even in a granite area - they are a lot harder to work). Suitable local sandstone may be cheaper if available (for example, round here the Kerridge sandstones made good flags for roofing, but some beds that didn't readily cleave as thinly might be used for setts). Cobbles would be cheap if you are beside a suitable beach, but they don't have to be beach/river derived. Round here suitable cobble-sized stones occur in glacial boulder-clay deposits and have been used as in my second point above.

 

Finally, there is always the wooden block option.

 

 

[Regularity]

6 hours ago, Mikkel said:

. A reminder of what has been lost, though perhaps in 5 years we just need to press a button on the smartphone and a fully printed 3-planker will emerge from our left ear. 

 

43 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

How dull. What became of the thrill of the chase?

No one will prevent you from making your own.

[Schooner]

On 11/06/2022 at 19:29, MrWolf said:

some progress pictures

 Posted here.

 

15 hours ago, Mikkel said:

a fully printed 3-planker will emerge

This is an interesting point (to me). I had thoguht the 3D printing community would already cater for many of these 'early' (YMMV) wagons, but buggered if I can actually find any to get my hands on. Still all about sleuthing eBay for old white metal kits :)

 

9 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

What became of the thrill of the chase?

Indeed, or the Joy of Heft: that's about 85g of pure AA16, right there. It trundles a treat :)

 

9 hours ago, lanchester said:

Finally, there is always the wooden block option.

Yeah, a really interesting one which I don't think I've seen modeled. There was a good discussion somewhere around here fairly recently which gave some interesting examples. Strikes me as being a decidedly urban thing though...?

 

Edited June 12, 2022 by Schooner
rogue piccy removed

[MrWolf]

The mention of wooden block roadways reminds me of when some resurfacing work was carried out at the city centre end of Belgrave Gate, Leicester in the 1980s.

Under about three inches of tarmac were tramlines and points, neatly surrounded by wooden blocks of about 6"X 4". They appeared to be tarred and fitted with the end grain facing upward.

I'll see if I can find a picture.

 

Edited June 12, 2022 by MrWolf

[MrWolf]

Bit of a long read, but this article shows that the wooden block paving wasn't just an urban thing, but does seem to be connected with tramways of various types.

 

https://doverhistorian.com/2014/11/01/crabble-tram-accident-19-august-1917/

[Nick Holliday]

On the roadway of Tower Bridge in London they used oak rod cut into short lengths, slightly larger than wine bottle corks, which were set vertically in tar. This was on steel or iron sheeting, presumably to reduce the noise.

[Schooner]

Afternoon all, how are we?

 

A couple of questions if I may, one specific and one general.

 

Firstly: I have an in-use Peckett for layout testing, whose running is suffering from the valuable learning opportunities covered to date, and is to be retired as soon as her work is done. I have an unused Peckett, still in its shipping packaging, for layout operation when the time comes. Both are Niclausses, bought when Rails had them on offer. The latest version of the W4 features longer wiper pickups, which should aid contact without undue friction, but I think that's it by way of changes. Superlative slow running on DC is essential to my enjoyment of the layout. Is it worth trading my unused W4 for a new model?

 

Secondly, we've seen my initial attempt to turn a W4 into a Manning Wardle H, to represent one of the Midland Railway's early shunters, warped to destruction before I got to it:

...and the second attempt (link to build post) which...ummm...well, yeah...

...and I'm keen that the third iteration is the final one.

 

I'm also keen that it be as good as possible. What can I do to make it better? All feedback, suggestions, and recommendations sought, please! "Less exploded" is valid, but already noted :)

 

The only real change I've got in mind is to find a greener Johnsonny green

and I'd like to have a go at recurved lining, using transfers

...but I'm sure there are more improvements possible and would love to hear them :)

 

Cheers, happy Sunday!

 

Schooner