Henley-on-Thames - GWR in the 1930's

[Neal Ball]

2 hours ago, Andy Keane said:

It is interesting that the weighbridge photos show the guard rail in either orientation so I can leave mine well alone!

 

Regarding the lighting level in your carriages I suspect you are not changing anything at all in your efforts. The real test is the tail lamp settings. If you change that on CV49 from 12 to 28 it should flip to being on from forwards to being on in reverse travel - is this happening?

If not are you sure your decoder is properly set in place and that you have:

CV34=4

CV44=50

CV49=12 or 28

CV64=15

This certainly controls mine fine using Imperium 4 decoders, including dimming the interior lamps, see photo.

regards

Andy

Thanks Andy

The missing link was CV44 changed to 50….. plus 🙁 the decoders were upside down….

 

Although in trying to take a photo to show the difference from a non decoder fitted carriage etc. my iPhone shows them as being too bright. I’ll get the DSLR down later.

 

I have also set the brightness to 10 at CV64 which seems much better.

 

Thanks again, Neal.

Edited August 29 by Neal Ball

[Coach bogie]

2 hours ago, Neal Ball said:

 

Autocoach 😎 I looked in the GWR carriages book yesterday and found loads of details for the A28 and only 2 photos for the A30.... I have added the details onto my carriages work-flow board.😎 

 

They are several in Autocoaches part 2 along with allocations history.  What images are you after? I took several close up shots of 190 for my auto project. Or if you are up for something different,  convert your Hornby/Airfix to an A28.

 

One challenge. A30 had end windows throughout the thirties. Painted Black in 1935 and eventually plated over by the end of the thirties. I got around this by splicing in a second driving end from a scrap autocoach. (there appear to lots of broken ones out there. I just bought another for the equivalent of £5 to rob for the bogies)

 

Mike Wiltshire

 

 

[Neal Ball]

35 minutes ago, Coach bogie said:

They are several in Autocoaches part 2 along with allocations history.  What images are you after? I took several close up shots of 190 for my auto project. Or if you are up for something different,  convert your Hornby/Airfix to an A28.

 

One challenge. A30 had end windows throughout the thirties. Painted Black in 1935 and eventually plated over by the end of the thirties. I got around this by splicing in a second driving end from a scrap autocoach. (there appear to lots of broken ones out there. I just bought another for the equivalent of £5 to rob for the bogies)

 

Mike Wiltshire

 

 

Thanks Mike…. I was looking at my stock of photos yesterday and I reckon that with those I took recently at Didcot and previously at the South Devon, I have a good selection of external photos. 
 

But I didn’t photograph the cab, which I can get round with either @MAP66 or @MrWolf who put them on their build pages….

 

I was also thinking about a second model spliced onto my current one, just to get the luggage windows included.

 

Strangely, I had just got everything out….

Not that I’m going to start it yet 😎

 

 

Thanks for the ideas and suggestions.

Regards, Neal.

[Neal Ball]

Just before stopping for lunch, the Autocoach body went into a bath of IPA…. Although I still maintain I’m not going to start work on the kit just yet.

 

I need to decide whether to do an A28 or A30…. I do have a nice pair of 7ft bogies in stock…

 

Instead, I have started on the new GWR 6 ton yard crane.

[Coach bogie]

[Neal Ball]

17 minutes ago, Coach bogie said:

 

That’s great Mike thank you, appreciate this.

 

The silly thing is that Phil @Harlequin and I stood in the SRM driving cab and I didn’t think to take any photos!

 

Thanks again,

Neal.

Edited August 29 by Neal Ball

[Nick Gough]

29 minutes ago, Neal Ball said:

 

The silly thing is that Phil @Harlequin and I stood in the SRM driving cab and I didn’t think to take any photos!

 

Too overcome by the ambience and nostalgia?

[Harlequin]

2 hours ago, Neal Ball said:

 

That’s great Mike thank you, appreciate this.

 

The silly thing is that Phil @Harlequin and I stood in the SRM driving cab and I didn’t think to take any photos!

 

 

1 hour ago, Nick Gough said:

Too overcome by the ambience and nostalgia?

 

No... If I remember correctly, we were deep in discussion about the lack of a reverser control in the drivers compartment and the difficulties that caused for both driver and fireman.

 

Does that ring a bell, Neal? (A bell in the cab! Ho ho ho!)

 

Edited August 29 by Harlequin

[MAP66]

3 hours ago, Neal Ball said:

Just before stopping for lunch, the Autocoach body went into a bath of IPA…. Although I still maintain I’m not going to start work on the kit just yet.

 

I need to decide whether to do an A28 or A30…. I do have a nice pair of 7ft bogies in stock…

 

Instead, I have started on the new GWR 6 ton yard crane.

I went for the A30 as the Airfix model has more similarities with that diagram. If doing the A30, you will need a method to re-secure the roof after discarding the original glazing, I used small magnets.. One other thing to remember is, if you are intending to add a driver and passengers, then you will need H0 1/87 scale figures.

I looked back through my auto coach build and there are some interior cab images on pages 22/23.

[Neal Ball]

1 hour ago, Nick Gough said:

Too overcome by the ambience and nostalgia?

 

Definitely overcome by the whole SRM experience - to be able to see inside the motor room and see how tight it was for space.

We checked out the levers for putting the passenger step in and out. (It was out at the time, which is how we got inside.)

 

1 hour ago, Harlequin said:

 

 

No... If I remember correctly, we were deep in discussion about the lack of a reverser control in the drivers compartment and the difficulties that created for both driver and fireman.

 

Does that ring a bell, Neal? (A bell in the cab! Ho ho ho!)

 

 

Absolutely, we had a long conversation in and around the cab area - which included a discussion about the particular father shouldn't allow the kids to clamber over the seats like that.

 

After we left, I had my photo taken on the remains of the Southall footbridge, where story has it in 1964 or so, I was taken to watch the trains go by. 

 

15 minutes ago, MAP66 said:

I went for the A30 as the Airfix model has more similarities with that diagram. If doing the A30, you will need a method to re-secure the roof after discarding the original glazing, I used small magnets.. One other thing to remember is, if you are intending to add a driver and passengers, then you will need H0 1/87 scale figures.

I looked back through my auto coach build and there are some interior cab images on pages 22/23.

 

Thanks Keith, I have also opted for the A30 as my first try at the conversion kit.

 

I followed your lead with HO figures when I got the modelu ones for the steam railmotor and will do the same for the autocoach.

 

Thanks for the page number, thats really useful. 

[checkrail]

3 hours ago, Neal Ball said:

Just before stopping for lunch, the Autocoach body went into a bath of IPA….

What a waste of good beer.

[Neal Ball]

In other news.... the new 6 ton yard crane is complete.... It just needs painting, but its a little too warm and humid at the moment, so it will wait for a few weeks.

 

It looks very nice and was a joy to go together - order your new 3D printed crane from Phil @Harlequin

 

This shows how the main gib arrives with you:

 

 

and this is the finished product....

 

 

It needs spraying, plus, I need to add the chain and hook. It is sitting on the plinth that came with the mk1 version.

 

Lovely model, definitely recommended.

[Neal Ball]

12 minutes ago, checkrail said:

What a waste of good beer.

 

Thanks John, would you believe it, on our trip around bits of the UK we went into a renewed real ale pub by Brighton station and asked for a Bitter... they didnt have any!

 

Which is even more ironic as it is owned by Darkstar brewery who are based in Sussex.

 

We also made the mistake of going into a craft beer bar in Chichester and asked for the closest to Bitter that they had... I had a sampler tray of 3 beers* and left about half of it. Thankfully from there we went to a Harveys pub in Southbourne, just down the road.

 

*The first 2 tasted almost the same, the 3rd was a bit different. But as you see in this photo, they were very cloudy... Thankfully there were no side effects the following day!

 

 

Thankfully no hops were damaged when the Autocoach took its bath 🤣

[MrWolf]

I'm not the only one who is struggling to find a beer that doesn't taste more like perfume then?

 

I don't drink very much, but I prefer something that can be used as gear oil in an emergency....

 

 

 

 

Edited August 29 by MrWolf
Stupid autocorrect

[Graham T]

4 hours ago, Coach bogie said:

 

Now that's what you call super-elevation!

 

[GMKAT7]

Good evening Neal,

 

In my experience, mostly in Derbyshire I'll admit, most craft beer tends to be over-hopped IPAs.

 

There is also a trend now for un-refined/unfiltered beers, which a couple of your samples look like.

 

In the good old days they were sent back as being cloudy 😂 and a proper pint was requested in exchange.

 

As Mr Wolf says, if it's dark and would pass for gear oil it would be better (or bitter, at least).

 

Cheers, Nigel.

[Neal Ball]

I have had a lovely couple of emails from Dapol today, firstly with further suggestions and then followed by a "thank you for your custom, enjoy the carriages" when I told them that I had managed to get the decoders working.

 

Lovely emails, good customer service, for which thank you Keith at Dapol.

 

Whilst the carriages were fiddly to set up, I think they are worth it As for the decoders.... I will leave that for you to decide!

 

 

The lights are better than seen here - I will get the DSLR downstairs soon!

 

 

I then tried the carriages in Platform 3.... it's just say the rake was a little on the large side! Never mind the local Paddington set will be fine in Platforms 1 and 2. 

[Neal Ball]

15 minutes ago, GMKAT7 said:

Good evening Neal,

 

In my experience, mostly in Derbyshire I'll admit, most craft beer tends to be over-hopped IPAs.

 

There is also a trend now for un-refined/unfiltered beers, which a couple of your samples look like.

 

In the good old days they were sent back as being cloudy 😂 and a proper pint was requested in exchange.

 

As Mr Wolf says, if it's dark and would pass for gear oil it would be better (or bitter, at least).

 

Cheers, Nigel.

 

Definitely agree. Plus! it was £6 a pint - OMG

Edited August 29 by Neal Ball

[Oldddudders]

37 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

I'm not the only one who is struggling to find a beer that doesn't taste more like perfume then?

 

I don't drink very much, but I prefer something that can be used as gear oil in an emergency....

Back in the early '70s, I used to drink bottled beers that were less than mainstream. Brickwoods Pompey Dark was an example, and my friends, who drank other things, referred to it as "A knife and fork bitter"!

[Andy Keane]

2 hours ago, Neal Ball said:

In other news.... the new 6 ton yard crane is complete.... It just needs painting, but its a little too warm and humid at the moment, so it will wait for a few weeks.

 

It looks very nice and was a joy to go together - order your new 3D printed crane from Phil @Harlequin

 

This shows how the main gib arrives with you:

 

 

and this is the finished product....

 

 

It needs spraying, plus, I need to add the chain and hook. It is sitting on the plinth that came with the mk1 version.

 

Lovely model, definitely recommended.

Looking good. Just to remind you because I got it wrong - the chain enters the drum at the bottom after it drapes over the upstand.

[St Enodoc]

4 hours ago, MrWolf said:

something that can be used as gear oil in an emergency....

Guinness

 

3 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

Brickwoods Pompey Dark was an example, and my friends, who drank other things, referred to it as "A knife and fork bitter"!

Gales HSB was hard to beat.

[MrWolf]

44 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

Guinness

 

Many English pubs have it on tap, but it only really sells on St Patrick's day, so the pint you get may well date back to 1958 and really does taste like motor oil...

 

44 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

 

Gales HSB was hard to beat.

 

Not one I've heard of, nothing too exotic, I quite like Theakston's or Brains if in Wales.

[St Enodoc]

16 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

 

Many English pubs have it on tap, but it only really sells on St Patrick's day, so the pint you get may well date back to 1958 and really does taste like motor oil...

 

 

Not one I've heard of, nothing too exotic, I quite like Theakston's or Brains if in Wales.

 

https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2023/07/gales-hsb-another-blast-from-past.html

 

Definitely on the chewy side.

[Neal Ball]

5 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

 

https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2023/07/gales-hsb-another-blast-from-past.html

 

Definitely on the chewy side.

Interesting article….. the exterior and interior photos are the Lewes Arms in Lewes where we went on our pub crawl with friends from Burgess Hill.

 

Pretty sure they sell HSB, but the main draw is Harvey’s Sussex bitter which knocks spots of it 🍺 cheers!

 

https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2021/02/harveys-sussex-best-much-missed.html

 

This is the John Harvey Tavern, opposite the brewery in Lewes.

 

 

Sussex is dispensed straight from the barrel on the back bar.

[St Enodoc]

52 minutes ago, Neal Ball said:

Interesting article….. the exterior and interior photos are the Lewes Arms in Lewes where we went on our pub crawl with friends from Burgess Hill.

 

Pretty sure they sell HSB, but the main draw is Harvey’s Sussex bitter which knocks spots of it 🍺 cheers!

 

https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2021/02/harveys-sussex-best-much-missed.html

 

This is the John Harvey Tavern, opposite the brewery in Lewes.

 

 

Sussex is dispensed straight from the barrel on the back bar.

Comparing Sussex and HSB is like comparing jelly and blancmange with bread-and-butter pudding. They are both delicious but entirely different.

 

Personally, I could spend a whole evening session on Sussex but three pints of HSB would fill me up.