Dr Gerbil-Fritters

Draper Tapers! And very nice they are, too

I think we all know what's going to happen next...

Did the 121s have 645E or has that chip been designed for the 071?

I had a nice little operating session this afternoon,  at the end of which if you happened to be on the bridge overlooking the station, this was the view.

for the spotters, from the left: bubbles, flats, ferts, MK2 set, 088 on Cravens, and at the buffers is 077 on the MK3 push pull set 6105.

Moving along the bridge changes the view to admire 88 and the MK1 GSV better...

I'm really pleased with how it's coming together, the atmosphere of a compact busy terminus is beginning to take shape.  It all fits into a surprisingly small space...

 I could have made the station longer, but I wanted to model the approach roads to a reasonable length.... most terminal layouts I see model the station then cram the approaches into a few inches and then abruptly disappear into a tunnel or similar.  I wanted a plain length of tracks where you might lean over the fence and watch the trains arrive and depart, and admire the station pilot waiting for its next job.

The girders for your bridge look like they would be an excellent choice for the two bridges on Castle Kerry... what make are they?

I did a wee bit more, after 4 hours of online meetings and working from home, and a walk up to the pharmacy.  It was a lovely day, for the end of the world as we know it!

Today's job was to see about another small siding to go in, next to some sort of fertiliser, grain, brewery sort of place that dominates the goods yard

I'm getting quite pleased with how this is shaping up now...  

It's starting to look like a proper little goods yard now

Once I'd got some online meetings out of the way, I managed a leisurely couple of hours in the shed rearranging the goods yard.

Just my luck I guess... anyway, it gives my 071s some proper work to do

It's been a while... the inclement weather and some pretty significant crisis mitigation efforts at work meant I haven't had any inclination to go to the shed this past three months.

I went in yesterday and did some tinkering, as I was not happy with the goods yard, or the staging yard.  Both will be adjusted but there's no rush.

I also got some Taras and Ferts.  They are all stiff, and even some ptfe hasn't freed them up.  Oh well.  Bit disappointing, as that means all my bogie stock is arthritic, only the bubbles and coaching stock re free rolling...

I hope they're not imminent.... in a rather unfortunate convergence, my pre-ordered flats and ferts arrived at the same time as some unanticipated taras...

the Mrs Dr Gerbil-Fritters was less than impressed, and I could not think of a way of sneaking three large boxes past her Incoming Train Radar

Why does The Beast sound different to the other 071s?  

oops, bought six.  The Mrs Dr Gerbil-Fritters will be less than chuffed.

How wide is the white strip on the tippex livery?

I am wondering of the railtec transfers would do the job - they do two sizes, 2 inch and 3 inch.

Possible mk3 conversion going on here

From an editorial in a Model Railway News, around 1979ish.  Found in a pile of mags in Buffers near Axminster.

What's the story with this? The Mk2s look like European stock but that does look like an A class not a repainted 33...

The quality of photos and repro back in the day, no wonder manufacturers could get away with anything.

I got a card today - thanks!

My missus said, so you should, the amount of money you're spending with those boys

...ballasting, station buildings and roof, relaying the yard, weathering stock...

An hour in the shed this afternoon.  Made a start in swapping out the KDs for Bachmann 'brake pipe' close coupling mechs on the Cravens set. Managed one set before losing the will to live.

Then the push pull set also needed a coupler issue addressing followed by a test run over the various crossovers to make sure things worked as intended.

077 did the honours.  That's probably it for 2019.  Lots to do in 2020....ferts, kegs, A class, 121, Mk3 set, scenery, signals....

The low winter sun catches 080 at the head of a lightly loaded Kerry Liner.

Are the little yellow container pads available separately?  I need a bunch as I'd like to get more 20' containers...

30 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

Lucky we're not in the UK, then!  

Superb photos, great layout. Those flats look the business.

Oops!

Thanks for the kind words

4 minutes ago, Broithe said:

Plain bearings*, rather than the 'traditional' pin-point ones, will always have that bit more drag - what friction there is will be at a somewhat greater radius from the axle centre line.

 

 

* I presume they are plain bearings, to get the axle through and make the bearing caps rotate?

I suspect that's the case.  I've not inspected the bearings yet.  Had too much fun watching the end caps rotate.  Probably won't share that with the missus...

I braved the swamp and made it to the shed for a bit.  080 does the honours on the first Castle Kerry Liner train.

Backing the empties into the yard...

and then departing with a mix of 20 and 40 foot boxes.

They look great, but I was surprised at how much rolling resistance there is.  A scrutiny of the twirly bits under a magnifier revealed nothing obviously untoward,  I shall have to have a more thorough examination at some point, its not really a problem although the GMs will certainly be doing actual work to pull these.

Several of the couplings were jammed out of position so needed a tweak.  One of them then disconnected from the centring spring, necessitating a partial dismantling and a lot of anglo-saxon poetry.  They'll be replaced with KDs or possible Bachmann 'air pipes' close couplers soon anyway.  

My only regret leaving behind US outline modelling is the horror of UK buffers and couplers... the American stuff has couplers located correctly on the centre line of the headstock, not wobbling about vaguely in space under the headstock.   Consequently, they look and behave just like the real thing, I am already weary of trying to fit KDs and other solutions to the IR stock.  

Ah well after the day we woke up to, I just had to cheer myself up....

These are beautiful models of a great prototype.  Not only does the metal construction make them nice and weighty, but it looks better than painted plastic does especially on this kind of open framed wagon.  If the boys ever do the beet wagons, I hope they make them of metal too.

I'm looking forward to me ferts next...

A large box arrived yesterday, and an even larger one today!  So that's my liners arrived...

Do I save them for Christmas, or open them straight away?

4 hours ago, Railer said:

 Funnily enough it's the last liner order I placed

same here, but mine are the 2 x 20' CIE containers...

toot toot!