Atlantic's works: Portable layout - Scenic details next

[wehf100]

I'm looking forward to watching this build. I do hope you're also going to make 20+ bogie coal wagons for it to pull...

Will

[Atlantic 3279]

The 40 ton ex-GCR all-steel bogie coal wagons to Livesey-Gould patent design are indeed on the agenda too, though I may have to draw the line at 15 on account of my loop lengths.

"Wndcutter" is an interesting description. I think that idea fits this loco in respect of the block trainloads of coal, but I can't imagine that this beast would ever have cut through the wind. I think speedy running would be at odds with its huge piston area, just two outside cranks set at 90 degrees, 4' 8" coupled wheels, pre-group "dynamic balancing" technology and American building philosophy (no need for durability, just scrap in fifteen years after building a bigger new one).

[S.A.C. Martin]

Would the LNER have bothered with the P1s if they had inherited locomotives such as this, I wonder.

[2002EarlMarischal]

Would the LNER have bothered with the P1s if they had inherited locomotives such as this, I wonder.

Good point, I suppose Gresley might have rebuilt them with one of his boilers if necessary.

[Manxman1831]

Forgive my ignorance, but what is dynamic balancing? Intriguing idea with the rebuild though. Look forward to your pictures and descriptions of the work.

[Atlantic 3279]

I had in mind the way in which the necessary counter-balance weights for the coupled wheels and motion were calculated and applied in those days. Did not the later "bridge stress committee" find that many of the locos running in the 20s had either too much, too little, or wrongly placed balance weights to reduce hammer blow at speed?

[Atlantic 3279]

I haven't yet made the rear quarters of the cab or any form of support for the rear of the roof, but I was keen to get an early look at whether the overall appearance of this loco really was capable of going the way that it needs to. In order to check, after wasting almost an hour this afternoon trying to work out where I had put my supplies of brass sheet (after a hurried pre-Christmas clear up I suspect), I cut and rolled suitable pieces for a cab roof and a thin wrapper to extend the smokebox to length. After stripping yet more fittings from the original loco and filing off rivets and other features to make way for the new parts, I temporarily stuck these in place with tape and blu-tac. A 247 Developments "J39" chimney looks somewhat similar to the item shown in the only loco drawing I've seen, so I've perched that on the new smokebox. The result certainly gives me the necessary inspiration to continue. Some new twin cylinders with shared slidebars and crosshead will be an interesting building challenge. I have to decide whether to stick with a US style smokebox front, or to substitute something typically "Gorton". The leading dome (for sand) shown in the Baldwin drawing certainly won't feature in the model. I feel that would have been seen as a major inconvenience in Britain compared to the usual sandboxes with fillers at running plate level.

[S.A.C. Martin]

A vote for the Gorton-esque smokebox door here, Graeme If only because the moguls the GNR bought looked strangely elegant with the GNR smokebox doors and Baldwin overall design.

It's looking very chunky and powerful, I must say.

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

This is going to be very interesting indeed.

For what its worth, I'm with Simon. Go for the GC door. You know it makes sense!

[Horsetan]

USATC S160 2-8-0 next, maybe?

[Blink Bonny]

S160? Please don't.

Scampers to loo - sounds of retching!

[2002EarlMarischal]

S160? Please don't.

Scampers to loo - sounds of retching!

I know beauty is "in the eye of the beholder" but the S160 was a pretty ugly design compared with the UK equivalent RODs and 8Fs.

I often wonder why other nation's locomotives were generally so messy in design. It's hard to believe it was simply on grounds of practicality and access. Surely removing miles of plumbing from the outside of a cladded bolier must have made heavy overhauls more of a nightmare?

[60800]

Don't even get me started on the bland black and silver and colour schemes. They make a rusted pacer look 'nice'

[Manxman1831]

Steady on there, nothing could make a rusty Pacer look nice... except maybe a small nuclear device and a loud bang...

[Atlantic 3279]

I spent a seemingly unreasonable amount of time last evening altering an old NuCast smokebox door to almost GCR pattern, and constructing a smokebox front for the Baldwin to house the door. I may put up a picture later if I don't have all of my time wasted by "real work" work today - no doubt largely dealing with penny-pinchers, imbeciles and others with problems of their own making .