On 31/08/2024 at 00:34, railroadbill said:

Brilliant modelling and nice story to go with it as well. Like your use of Dickens characters names.  There was an excellent BBC version of Bleak House a few years ago  where Lady Dedlock was played by Gillian Anderson.  There is also the fate of Krook who spontaneously combusts, but that would be a bit difficult for a layout... anyway that's in an earlier era.

😊

One thing with Farthing is that it has that new, open look that roads and infrastructure had shown by those old black and white photos. Everything is more spacious without lots of street furniture, lampposts, signs and so on.

 

Looking forward to the next  car.

Many thanks Bill. Spontaneous combustion will be tricky 🙂

It is actually a bit misleading that the characters at Farthing have Dickensian names, I suppose I should find a more Edwardian reference. The fictional place names are from Tolkien, which doesn't help!

On 31/08/2024 at 02:07, alastairq said:

According to Wikipedia, the USA had the first dedicated 'filling stations', in the 9 years before WW1 breaking out.

The AA filling station [at Aldermaston I believe] was opened in 1919, with the first retailers getting their licences in around 1922.

Prior to WW1 for the UK it was generally the pharmacist, flogging gallon tins of fuel over the counter.

 

I am not sure whether hotels in certain towns also sold petrol to guests, etc.

 

A bit of research found this below

 

https://www.exxonmobil.co.uk/company/overview/about-us/history-of-esso-in-the-uk

 

I quote a relevant passage below from the above 

 

 

Pratts, AKA Standard OIl [my Grandad was a 'sales manager' with Esso and Standard  OIl before & after WW2..he helped organise the fuel for The first Rover gas turbine car]  had 'agents' all over the country flogging oil & paraffin before  WW1 ....possibly direct to motorist customers too?

Thanks Alastair, that helps to clarify things.

Speaking of the AA, l do like the "Scouts" that they had posted in the early days to assist motorists. 

Caption: June 1909: An Automobile Association (AA) scout wearing the new AA uniform, standing beside his bicycle in a country road. Source: Getty Images, embedding permitted.

4 hours ago, Audens Pledge said:

Forgive me if this has already been asked, but why are the tracks in the yard sitting on what seems to be a flat concrete surface? Have you not done ballasting at this point, or is that prototypical?

It is supposed to look like the cinder/ash ballast seen in sidings and yards in the 1900s, which became mixed with dirt to the point where it all looked almost uniform and quite light. Whether it works is another question. There's a post here about how it was made:

32 minutes ago, alastairq said:

No such consideration nowadays from the AA, its 'Patrols', or indeed the corporate body that now owns what was once a 'public' service...

The AA was never a public service but rather a members' club run by a self-perpetuating oligarchy. 

Mikkelise.

Verb.

To chop up assorted model figures and reassemble the parts to create a figure doing something entirely different from the sculptors original intentions. 

An entire and reasonably inexpensive hobby in its own right. 

On 03/09/2024 at 18:11, alastairq said:

Mikkel, I believe the AA originally started as a means of warning member motorists of the presence of a Police speed trap up ahead. 

The AA rule was , the 'Patrol' must salute oncoming members. [Identified by the AA badge....Needed good eyesight to see the darned thing!]

If the patrol had identified a Police speed trap, then, to warn oncoming members, the Patrol would not salute.

The member was then expected to stop, and demand of the Patrol, why they had failed to salute!

At that moment the Patrol would discretely warn the member motorist of the presence of the Police speed trap up ahead.

Thus avoiding the risk of being charged with 'perverting the course of justice', which can happen now if one flashes one's headlights with the intention of warning oncoming drivers of the presence of a speed camera up ahead.  {The Highway Code {UK} clearly defines the meaning of a flash of the headlights...no getting away from it!!]

 

No such consideration nowadays from the AA, its 'Patrols', or indeed the corporate body that now owns what was once a 'public' service...[Is it British Gas, perchance? Or have I got the wrong 'friend of the motorist' here?]

Thanks Alastair, that made me smile. Perhaps that is what is going on here:

Caption: 1909: An Automobile Association inspector, wearing the Association's new uniform, signals 'danger' by standing at attention. Source: Getty Images, embedding permitted.

Of course, official photographs show a more "proper" role for the AA scouts/inspectors:

Caption: July 1919: An Automobile Association patrolman gives directions to a motorcyclist who has lost his way. Source: Getty Images, embedding permitted.

Caption: July 1919: An Automobile Association scout on an emergency call-out. Source: Getty Images, embedding permitted.

On 05/09/2024 at 17:19, davidbr said:

Lovely work, Mikkel.  I have a soft spot for early motor transport and have been writing a series of articles for Scalefour News.  My article for cars is attached.

6. Personal transport-small.pdf 421.69 kB · 15 downloads

Thank you David, what an excellent write-up and line-up of models! A very useful overview of what is - and has been - available. 

Your mystery 3D printed Ford T is interesting. I have recently backdated a very similar print from DAPR, though not quite the same as yours I think. Will post about it shortly.

On 06/09/2024 at 00:43, flyingbadger said:

Crude enlargement 

I'll need to repaint the gold. 🙄

Mikkel you're right about the wings.

Good to see another one, thanks Badger.  I see you've got the springs etc at the front in black, maybe I should have gone for that. And yes, the gold band caused some swearing here too! 

On 06/09/2024 at 00:58, Dave John said:

Mikkelise.

 

Verb.

 

To chop up assorted model figures and reassemble the parts to create a figure doing something entirely different from the sculptors original intentions. 

 

An entire and reasonably inexpensive hobby in its own right. 

...though also one that tends to lead the modeller astray when he should be doing more substantial things 🙂