Thursday, March 23, 2017
A Recent Acquisition
The Col. was able to acquire a "new" piece of equipment for the B.B.R., an Ex Midland Railway 1F 1377 class 0-6-0T. Our locomotive Superintendent had a quick look over and gave the thumbs up, despite some history of the loco wanting to only run in reverse ! Here She is being lined up for the official photograph, awaiting re-lettering & numbering.
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
A special flat wagon
Evening All,
And Now for something completely different ! This model was built from a very nice laser cut wood kit by B.T.S. (Better Than Scratch). I can highly recommend their kits, always a joy to build !
It's a USMRR flatcar, built in 1860's. Kit #19517. My Dad built and weathered this model, added buffers and used Wiseman white metal archbar trucks. It fits in surprisingly well with the 7mm equipment, so will be used on the BBR from time to time for special duties.
Seen here delivering Bertie Wooster's Aston Martin :)
And Now for something completely different ! This model was built from a very nice laser cut wood kit by B.T.S. (Better Than Scratch). I can highly recommend their kits, always a joy to build !
It's a USMRR flatcar, built in 1860's. Kit #19517. My Dad built and weathered this model, added buffers and used Wiseman white metal archbar trucks. It fits in surprisingly well with the 7mm equipment, so will be used on the BBR from time to time for special duties.
Seen here delivering Bertie Wooster's Aston Martin :)
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Link vs Tension Lock Couplings
Busy Busy times, leaves little time for the railway, but one important decision was made !
Prototype authentic link couplings, or a choice of auto couplers. There looks to be hundreds of choices, but after some thought and testing, I picked the Bachmann OO tension lock type. I was tempted to stick it out with the 3 link chains, but I know my eyesight will only get worse, and there will be a couple spots on my railway which will be hard to reach. With the convenience of auto coupling, and with a tool, easy uncoupling, the decision was easy. I don't think they look too bad, and when the wagons are coupled, I can barely notice them. Buffer locking is no longer an issue ! I tested them on 3 wagons and they worked great on curves down to 42" radius. Kadee knuckle couplers were tempting, but they're just too noticeable and looked odd on English equipment, at least to me. Installation is easy with little work, and I can leave the original hooks, which allows the wagons to be coupled to another wagon which is not yet equipped with TLs, another bonus !
Prototype authentic link couplings, or a choice of auto couplers. There looks to be hundreds of choices, but after some thought and testing, I picked the Bachmann OO tension lock type. I was tempted to stick it out with the 3 link chains, but I know my eyesight will only get worse, and there will be a couple spots on my railway which will be hard to reach. With the convenience of auto coupling, and with a tool, easy uncoupling, the decision was easy. I don't think they look too bad, and when the wagons are coupled, I can barely notice them. Buffer locking is no longer an issue ! I tested them on 3 wagons and they worked great on curves down to 42" radius. Kadee knuckle couplers were tempting, but they're just too noticeable and looked odd on English equipment, at least to me. Installation is easy with little work, and I can leave the original hooks, which allows the wagons to be coupled to another wagon which is not yet equipped with TLs, another bonus !
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
A little Research & Inspiration !
Now arriving on platform 4, reading material for the next decade ! 36 back issues of Railway Bylines, in my opinion the best magazine covering the history of Britain's railways and industry, landed on my doorstep this afternoon. I highly recommend this publication to anyone interested in modeling the steam age, you won't be disappointed !
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