Golden Fleece 30

It does have a couple of cylinders with slide bars and white metal crosshead. The coupling and connecting rods are etched. The instructions say to glue a piece of plastic to the frames then glue the cylinders on to prevent a short depending on what wheels you use. I am not keen on glueing cylinders on so will devise a different approach. The instructions which are about a quarter size of A4 look to be the type that comes of a roller if you remember those. There are only 3 sets of driving wheels so I may have to get a full set as I may not be able to get a pair with matching throw. It seems both loco and tender bodies are soldered so should be strong. Garry

A pretty good ROD 2-8-0 body and tender I got the other day. There is a chassis but only a whitemetal one so I may make an etched one. The finish is quite good although the photos show up more than the eye sees so I may leave it and just put some transfers on. The instructions are strange with comments like "the whistle did not cast well so make one from wire", "this did not fit well so make your own" etc. The tender I gather will be the BEC one as that is what is mentioned to buy in the instructions. Overall really pleased even though it was a little more than I really wanted to pay, after all I am a Yorkshire man. There is no name on the instructions but the parts look well cast. I was hoping to use an XT60 but the firebox opening is very small so it looks like a short length Mashima style motor will have to be used. Garry

Exley coaches are my preferred choice above any other (my you tube videos will vouch for that and look on the Exley thread) and better still if hauled by a Hornby Dublo loco. Garry

Here are the two 1/4 reverse curves made. Instead of the usual using the Tri-ang ends for each piece of track I made a pair up from two halves and soldered some brass wire along each rail underneath. The "black" along the join I think is the flux that has seeped through, or melted plastic as a lot of heat was needed to solder the pins in situ. Unfortunately one piece had two different rail profiles so a little grinding and filing has taken place. I have managed to get two clean fishplates to be sliders for the half curve between the upper level and incline as the layout will be stored as two different sections with the upper level slotted over set blocks on the main baseboard. Garry

I have had to slightly modify my track plan for the upper station for various reasons but I think this is the best I can do for what I want. Due to no access to a release point in the station without cutting a chunk out of a platform this is designed for holding the loco at the buffer stops and the previous loco would now be on a loco road in line with the platform (no line showing at the moment) can come in and work tender first. This allows the loco at the stops to go onto the "shed" road for the next train. Obviously if operating times allow the light engine could always go down to the reverse loop. There is a run round for the goods with sidings in both directions. As the maximum amount of wagons going up will be usually be 5, possibly 6, there should be sufficient room for everything. As the station building will be a low relief one I have made some 1/4 curves to give a wider platform. Hopefully the photos will help understand. It is amazing what you can get in such a small space and have proper shunting/operating interests, no wonder Mike Bryant called it " a quart in a pint pot". Garry

A little bit of progress on the layout with some cardboard platforms made. I now have the wood ready to start the upper level sometime soon hopefully. Garry

In what way do you mean more presence? Tri-ang TT had only been out about 7 months and the only loco at the time was the Jinty. Coaches and wagons were fairly limited too although that never increased much in total, apart from livery the only other coaches were the Utility vans and Pullmans. I guess loco building was difficult with only the one chassis to choose from so no larger wheels for a big loco. The track work was really good and all to use Tri-ang standard wheel sets including a slip and a three way point. Garry.

Regarding the Catenary system mentioned this was certainly a retrograde step with Tri-ang. When it first came out in the late 50's it looked correct with Catenary wire (the curved top part), droppers and contact wire. Even though over scale it looked right. Then in the early 60's with the EM1 coming out they decided on a single wire with plastic clips. This was more flimsy and did not look good. I guess Tri-ang's thoughts were it was easier to complete a circuit putting masts where you wanted than having to space out the masts to suit the Catenary lengths then use the adjustable piece. Garry

No doubt all the valve gear would fall off for a start, then with spares not available since Chinese production, the loco goes to the model loco equivelent of Barry Island. Garry

No idea, I have heard of it but as yet never seen any photos or write up. Having read this one last night it was interesting to read he made all his own track, started before the war, using 1/8" x 1/16" brass strip soldered to brass sleepers every 3" or so and then gluing card sleepers between. Garry

Hi David, My very first train "set", and I use the word set loosely, was a Dublo Silver King and 0-6-2 with a few yard lengths of Wrenn track and some curves, no tender or coaches but a couple of goods wagons. I was about 3 or 4 at the time and my parents did not know anything different so they "added" to it by buying a proper new set, a Tri-ang Transcontinental twin unit with two coaches. How do you compare that? I had two different systems and one was American, that's parents for you. I preferred the standard track to the series 3 and as you say the inclines and sidewalls fitted nicely being specific for the track. Muck nicer that the pink ones for Super 4 and those awful black ones for System 6. I only had the BR operating hopper as somehow I must have convinced my parents on the differences and never got another Transcontinental item again including TT. In the same issue is the advert for the American Bo-Bo. Garry

I know that but in the 50's and 60's no one bothered about the extra length. Don't forget the Princess and Britannia in 00 had the same chassis. The Princess was a good inch or so short. Garry

The did do the Merchant Navy as a Battle of Britain Winston Churchill. In later years Hornby made a similar 3 car DMU ( I am not familiar with classes). They possibly left the Castle out as Hornby Dublo had just brought their model Bristol Castle out the year before the TT one. These were already being converted to 2-rail by shops and sold albeit at a higher price than if Tri-ang made one. The brush type 2 was slightly different with the 00 having the roof mounted headcode box. Garry

No Ray, This was called North Midland built by Theo Pearson. The write up says probably the oldest 4mm system with a continuous history starting from the very origin of 00. Garry Garry

Here you are Ray, a really nice 3-rail layout from October 1957. The track looks to be Wrenn but I have not read the article yet. How I wish I had a room this size. Garry

Here is the advert for the new Bristol Castle in the October 1957 RM. Garry

An interesting advert from October 1957 advertising the Kirdon controller, anyone remember them? It had a button to press to help start a stationary loco, sounds a good idea as opposed to turning the knob further then turning it back slightly. What I noticed though was the advert mentions TT wagons but I have never heard of any at shows, in books etc. Has anyone seen any and what were produced? Garry

Here is an advert from September 1957 regarding the unloading Hopper sets. Standard track is used and from what I remember in those days there always seemed to be more Transcontinental stock than British outline. Does anyone remember the Kirdon controller as advertised in the October 1957 Railway Modeller. It had a button to press to help start a stationary loco, sounds a good idea as opposed to turning the knob further then turning it back slightly. Garry

Having just bought a January 1958 Railway Modeller I saw this advert for the Bristol Castle, £4-1s-0d in 1958, and it already has people converting it to 2-rail. Inside there is a double page spread on converting it to 4 different locos and improving its already good looks. Garry

Reversing loops are not really a problem with 2-rail, I have done many and my TT one on here has one, the video shows it being used. All my 00 layouts in the past contained a reverse loop as each one was out and back with continuous run. You don't need DCC to do it. I admit on all mine you have to stop on an isolated section to throw a reverse polarity switch but even in the 80's or 90's someone brought out a device to do it automatically while the train was running. Garry

I have just bought a January 1958 Railway Modeller (unread properly as yet) for the TT content but it has the introduction of the series 3 track. What surprised me was the missing square "locking tab" that used to be on each end, the ones that looked like the licorice Imps. Was this a first issue series 3 that did not clip well by the half sleeper method and soon superseded by the tabbed ones? Garry

I have just bought a January 1958 Railway Modeller (unread properly as yet) and it has a nice TT layout built. It has an express size turntable yet at this moment in time the Castle was only just advertised as per later in the issue. The layout looks to have all 0-6-0's some with different bodies (kit or scratchbuilt) but does have the main line coaches which I thought only came out with the Castle. Garry

I forgot about Farish's Formoway. To me their points were not as good as Peco although the range at the time was for greater. The basic fault was no locking spring for the tiebars which meant a separate switch or motor had to be added to allow its use. The Frogs looked coarse and the live version did nothing for me. Garry

I know of Wrenn (fibre based and very difficult to bend after cutting the webs), Gem and Peco flexible track. There was one advertised called Welkut for both 00 and TT but I never saw any so no idea what it was like. Garry

Through experience I can say it can affect R 3 and 4 radii which is what my layout is. Initially I wondered why the locos ran well on the straight and through points but stopped or judderd on the curves. A gentle push gave it all away, the wheel flanges were tight against the rails. Since then all wheels have been turned slightly and no more trouble encountered. Garry