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Great Southern Railway (Fictitious) - Looking North


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So, with the LBSC van completed, my attention has turned to another half-finished project: the SE&CR push-pull set to go with the Wainwright P. I wasn't very happy with the original chassis design (which was very similar to the one on my Stroudleys, a solid block into which the axleguards slotted. This is fine for 4-wheel coaches with minimal underframe gubbins, but I wanted to have a bit more on these coaches, to say nothing of needing to open up slots for the centre axle to slide.

Earlier in the thread I posted a video of a new design of 6-wheel chassis happily handling first-radius curves (in 00). Having got the mechanics right, I've now spent quite a bit of time drawing and re-drawing, cutting, test-building, swearing, and re-cutting. Gone are the solid axleguards and the wrongly-sized springs, in comes a battery box and a laser-cut dynamo (fiddly to assemble, and probably better replaced with a casting or plastic part, but there nonetheless), and the new style of chassis allows for either NEM pocket mounting or there's a slot to allow for the springs on a scale coupling. There are even proper footboards now!

There are still a few small changes to be made to the chassis - the footboards are too short and should extend beyond the bufferbeams, for one thing! - but it's definitely coming together, and looks a bit more "finescale" than it did before. Most of the assembly is tab-and-slot (now that I've got the hang of it, it does make the construction much easier), with just the bufferbeams not being so as I didn't want a hole in the face of the bufferbeam. I've also combined the springs, axleboxes, and solebar into one piece which definitely speeds up assembly time. I'm still undecided on whether to add laser-cut brakes too, although these would be just the shoes and a mounting point, so would be rather more delicate than wagon brakes. I'll have to experiment...

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Chassis parts before assembly

 

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Underside view

 

post-793-0-87459400-1535732813_thumb.jpg

Chassis underneath a bodyshell

 

Unfortunately, it's been pointed out that the style of beading I've drawn up isn't correct for the driving third, which had half-round beading as opposed to the square beading on the full-third and composite. This means that the bodyside overlays for that coach are going to need re-drawing... The lengths I go to to get these kits right! :mail:

Edited by Skinnylinny
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This post is all the fault of Gary (BlueLightning)... having seen the lovely stock fitted with scale couplings on Oak Hill and on the forthcoming Hailsham, I have been less and less happy with the tension-locks on Linton's stock. However, with the sidings being at the front, very visible to viewers but about 3 feet from operators when exhibiting (to say nothing of the station canopy in the way!), scale couplings couldn't be employed... or could they?

Within my rake of SE&CR Birdcage coaches, which would only operate as a fixed set, there would be nothing stopping me coupling them together with scale screw-links between the coaches (and leaving tension-locks at the ends of the rake), especially as with the current trackplan, there will be no propelling moves over any curves worth noting (only crossing the crossover between platforms when being pulled). So... a quick trip to the model shop has resulted in this...

post-793-0-35342400-1535818879_thumb.jpg

 

...being changed to this:

 

post-793-0-99021800-1535818908_thumb.jpg

 

So far, so good, but that still leaves the ugly tension-lock at the ends of the rakes. The vertical "choppers" I don't mind so much, but the plastic loop, with its buffing plate on the outside keeping stock apart with buffers a scale foot apart when being pushed is objectionable. So, I wondered if it would be possible to bodge something up out of wire from a Bachmann NEM tension lock coupling, keeping the original hook (and thus being easily auto-uncoupled, as the hook is (should be!) at a constant height, but with a shorter loop and something less obtrusive. The results are below, compared with a standard tension-lock:

 

post-793-0-24543600-1535819095_thumb.jpg

 

post-793-0-83391500-1535819100_thumb.jpg

 

post-793-0-40930200-1535819107_thumb.jpg

 

The loop being just behind the buffers allows stock to buffer up easily and also means that the loop is less likely to get damaged when rattling around in stock boxes (always a bonus!) and the wire loop is less obtrusive, by dint of both being thinner and also not sticking out beyond the buffers. The hook I'll still have to live with, but I'm already much happier with these. As to whether I'll end up making enough of these for all of my goods wagons, we'll just have to wait and see, but for now I've already fitted wire loops to an H class and a second wire-looped tension lock to the other end of the Birdcage rake, and the whole train is almost 3/4" shorter than when it was all made up with tension locks!

Edited by Skinnylinny
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This post is all the fault of Gary (BlueLightning)... having seen the lovely stock fitted with scale couplings on Oak Hill and on the forthcoming Hailsham, I have been less and less happy with the tension-locks on Linton's stock. However, with the sidings being at the front, very visible to viewers but about 3 feet from operators when exhibiting (to say nothing of the station canopy in the way!), scale couplings couldn't be employed... or could they?

 

Within my rake of SE&CR Birdcage coaches, which would only operate as a fixed set, there would be nothing stopping me coupling them together with scale screw-links between the coaches (and leaving tension-locks at the ends of the rake), especially as with the current trackplan, there will be no propelling moves over any curves worth noting (only crossing the crossover between platforms when being pulled). So... a quick trip to the model shop has resulted in this...

Coupling 1.jpg

 

...being changed to this:

 

Coupling 2.jpg

 

So far, so good, but that still leaves the ugly tension-lock at the ends of the rakes. The vertical "choppers" I don't mind so much, but the plastic loop, with its buffing plate on the outside keeping stock apart with buffers a scale foot apart when being pushed is objectionable. So, I wondered if it would be possible to bodge something up out of wire from a Bachmann NEM tension lock coupling, keeping the original hook (and thus being easily auto-uncoupled, as the hook is (should be!) at a constant height, but with a shorter loop and something less obtrusive. The results are below, compared with a standard tension-lock:

 

Coupling 3.jpg

 

Coupling 4.jpg

 

Coupling 5.jpg

 

The loop being just behind the buffers allows stock to buffer up easily and also means that the loop is less likely to get damaged when rattling around in stock boxes (always a bonus!) and the wire loop is less obtrusive, by dint of both being thinner and also not sticking out beyond the buffers. The hook I'll still have to live with, but I'm already much happier with these. As to whether I'll end up making enough of these for all of my goods wagons, we'll just have to wait and see, but for now I've already fitted wire loops to an H class and a second wire-looped tension lock to the other end of the Birdcage rake, and the whole train is almost 3/4" shorter than when it was all made up with tension locks!

Nothing wrong with tension locks. I use them all the time! :P Edited by RedGemAlchemist
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Linny they are great! Such a huge improvement over the standard couplings!!

 

 

Nothing wrong with tension locks. I use them all the time! :P

 

They are the best non-scale coupling out there! but they have nothing on proper scale couplings!!!

 

Gary

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Fixed couplings within fixed rakes of passenger stock are vital to realistic running. The train should run as a single unit. On my 1950s trains, I've taken to using the Roco-type coupler (which fits into the NEM socket) but this would be far too obtrusive on pre-grouping stock, so I'm also looking for a better way.

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And in interior design, my flatmate came up trumps today with an excellent charity shop find - pre-grouping curtains for my bedroom/layout room. I recognise the Terrier and Stroudley G class, and the Midland Spinner, but what are the other two locos? The lighter green one looks very reminiscent of Edwardian's H0 4-4-0 model...

 

post-793-0-70131700-1535844299_thumb.jpg

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The light green 4-4-0 is a Cowan design for the GNoSR.

Not sure about the dark green single: many possibilities.

[i will hazard a guess at something Manchester Sheffield and Lincolnshire, based on the porthole in the cab side.]

Edited by Regularity
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And in interior design, my flatmate came up trumps today with an excellent charity shop find - pre-grouping curtains for my bedroom/layout room. I recognise the Terrier and Stroudley G class, and the Midland Spinner, but what are the other two locos? The lighter green one looks very reminiscent of Edwardian's H0 4-4-0 model...

 

IMG_20180901_230910467.jpg

That's awesome! I'm jealous now! I can't even have curtains in my railway room as it has no windows!
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The light green 4-4-0 is a Cowan design for the GNoSR.

Not sure about the dark green single: many possibilities.

[i will hazard a guess at something Manchester Sheffield and Lincolnshire, based on the porthole in the cab side.]

 

I think the 2-2-2 is indeed MS&LR, one of a class of a dozen with 7'6" drivers by Charles Sacre built in 1882-3 - his last design before his retirement. According to Ahrons, they were used on the Manchester and Liverpool expresses and also the London expresses via Retford, working through to Grantham. Ahrons describes them as "remarkably powerful, and could get away in excellent fashion with very heavy trains". Robinson thought of giving them leading bogies to cure unsteadiness at high speed but apart from longer smokeboxes (as on the curtains, I think) they were not significantly altered.

 

EDIT: James beat me to it with his photo.

 

The Midland single is one of the final lot, the Princess of Wales class with bogie tender - in fact Princess of Wales herself.

Edited by Compound2632
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The light green 4-4-0 is a Cowan design for the GNoSR.

Not sure about the dark green single: many possibilities.

[i will hazard a guess at something Manchester Sheffield and Lincolnshire, based on the porthole in the cab side.]

That's an interesting one, thank you!

 

Closer-up photos for verification:

 

post-793-0-68365800-1535880010_thumb.jpg

 

post-793-0-08887500-1535880026_thumb.jpg

 

post-793-0-82076100-1535880034_thumb.jpg

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Just above the tender of the Sacre single I see the station name Shifnal - also known as Moblems. Quite why, I don't know - it may just be that Shifnal is a bit difficult for a young child to pronounce. When I was very young, I used to be taken by train between Shrewsbury to Birmingham to see my Granny; whenever possible I got the seat on the right hand side at the front, to get the view through the cab of the DMU. My only memory is of the dramatic effect of a change of gradient, at bridge over the line - looking as if we were about to plunge into the void. There was also the orange windsock at Cosford.

 

I suppose that DMU went through to New Street; I've no recollection of changing at Wolverhampton.

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