Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

[Soar Valley Light]

What a lovely possibility Rik. I can just picture one of those in PLR green!

CFLR Andrew

[ge_rik]

What a crazy, distorted picture.... the shed door looks to be off alignment with the track and too narrow for the locomotive, also the track beneath the loco looks to be higher than the adjacent rails and suggests it is on some kind of traverser. Only when studied more closely is it possible to see a turntable.... I think?

Just checked the track plan for the station at Schull and indeed it is a turntable, with the engine shed at right angles to the station platform. As they used to say in Railway Modeller, there's a prototype for everything ......

Rik

[gregh]

A big coincidence - my sketching for a future indoor layout had a turntable with loco shed at right angles to Main, just like Schull.

Back on topic, here is your challenge (should you choose to accept) -
https://livinghistories.newcastle.edu.a ... /view/4345

I've thought and thought for years how I could do the 'fancy shaped' saddle tank but it is too hard for me. Does anyone know if that shape has a name?
It's an 0-6-0 but a 2-4-0 would look the same or you could stretch it to a 4-4-0.


A friend in NZ made one, here....
http://ashrail.com/F72.htm

[Andrew]

Does anyone know if that shape has a name?

Hi Greg!

According to this article https://www.heritagerailway.co.uk/2608/ ... -survivor/ it's an "ogee" tank - I've seen that tearm to describle the sape of arches etc in architecture...

The litte Great Eastern tanks of this style were known as "coffee pots" - the sole survivor used to live at the North Woolwich station museum, where I'd visit it sometimes on the way to see my Nan in Plaistow:



It's a lovely loco, and I like your 0-6-0 variant too Greg.

Andrew.

[Andrew]

What a crazy, distorted picture.... the shed door looks to be off alignment with the track and too narrow for the locomotive, also the track beneath the loco looks to be higher than the adjacent rails and suggests it is on some kind of traverser. Only when studied more closely is it possible to see a turntable.... I think?

Just checked the track plan for the station at Schull and indeed it is a turntable, with the engine shed at right angles to the station platform. As they used to say in Railway Modeller, there's a prototype for everything ......

Rik

It's wonderful, isn't it? If I were to start over in the garden I might be tempted to go down the Irish 3' route - well, I might if I could work out how to pronounce the place names!

Lovely loco Rik, a great combination of Peckett chunkiness ("Henbury", on the Bristol Harbour Railway has those curves from cab to bunker) and the elegance that almost always seems to come with 4-4-0 designs. I think it'll be a beauty...

Andrew.

[FWLR]

That ogee tank doe look a little beauty Andrew. Although the buffer does look a little weird and ugly compared to the loco..

[ge_rik]

If I remember rightly, Peter Butler has constructed a loco with a coffee pot tank. Peter's always one to rise to a rise to a challenge

Rik

[Peter Butler]

This is my own version, all HIP construction and Deltang R/C fitted......

IMG_3683.JPG (153.45 KiB) Viewed 3412 times

I have to admit to not being the maker of the body but I have built the chassis, added R/C and re-painted etc. During this process I can confirm there is a generous amount of filler used to make the lovely curve at the top of the tank sides.
It is a beautiful and unusual loco and runs smoothly on 12v. with ample power to haul a long passenger train.
Edit..... just noticed Rik's post as I submitted this.

[FWLR]

That is a real beauty Peter, bit jealous, well a lot really...

[GTB]

Back on topic, here is your challenge (should you choose to accept) -
https://livinghistories.newcastle.edu.a ... /view/4345

I've thought and thought for years how I could do the 'fancy shaped' saddle tank but it is too hard for me. Does anyone know if that shape has a name?

As Andrew says, the double curve of the tank sides is referred to as an ogee. Usually the mark of early Andrew Barclay locos, but also used by other builders. The Barclay in the photo started it's life on the kerosene shale line at Joadja near Mittagong, before being sold to the timber mill at Bonville.

An ogee is a standard shape used in decorative wood mouldings. It occurs to me that there may be a suitable size commercial moulding available that could be used to form the tank side profile, then fix it to a ply frame and skin it with thin polystyrene sheet. If you, or a mate, have a router table, it may be easier to just make a piece of custom moulding.

I'd like to build a model of the little Barclay loco that ran on the Powelltown Tramway and rejoiced in the nickname 'Squirt'. Making the tank in brass doesn't worry me, but the loco is too small to build as a reliable steamer in 1:20 scale. I've no interest in building in 7/8 scale and I can't bring myself to build a battery powered steam loco.......

Regards,
Graeme

[Peter Butler]

An ogee is a standard shape used in decorative wood mouldings. It occurs to me that there may be a suitable size commercial moulding available that could be used to form the tank side profile, then fix it to a ply frame and skin it with thin polystyrene sheet.

Graeme

Absolutely correct, and speaking as a retired professional picture framer I can confirm such mouldings have been available for years. There may be listings on internet sites, although there would be enough material to make several boilers, so a joint project could be considered, and be more economical too!

[philipy]

It occurs to me that there may be a suitable size commercial moulding available that could be used to form the tank side profile, then fix it to a ply frame and skin it with thin polystyrene sheet. If you, or a mate, have a router table, it may be easier to just make a piece of custom moulding.

Looks like an ideal candidate for 3d printing. Save an awful lot of pfaffing about.

[ge_rik]

Just catalogued all 103 videos of the PLR to analyse their content. Interesting that unconsciously, I seem to favour some locos over others and some types of train. I've also found out that Peckforton Station has more clips devoted to it than anywhere else on the line.

Video analysis.jpg (96.5 KiB) Viewed 3267 times

What is significant is that the number of the locos indicates when they joined the line so, theoretically, those near the top of the list should have been used more than those lower down the list. Not so, I clearly have my favourites .....

Rik

[Andrew]

That's interesting!

I think the Manning Wardle's my favourite of your locos, but I'm surprised mixed trains aren't higher up the rankings, they're what spring to mind when I think of the PLR...

[thornmini]

I think (without thinking ) we just naturally gravitate to an engine or train that approaches our ideal of "perfection" --- an engine that runs, sounds, responds exceptionally well or a train that projects an exceptionally wholesome look about it or fits so well into the "home" we created for it. Whatever reason, they give us that great feeling of serenity as they trundle down the track -- and we love them.

[ge_rik]

I think (without thinking ) we just naturally gravitate to an engine or train that approaches our ideal of "perfection" --- an engine that runs, sounds, responds exceptionally well or a train that projects an exceptionally wholesome look about it or fits so well into the "home" we created for it. Whatever reason, they give us that great feeling of serenity as they trundle down the track -- and we love them.

Blimey! That's deep and philosophical. But I suspect there's an element of truth in what you say.

I really love loco No. 5. She's a model of my favourite ever real loco - one of the beautiful little Southwold Sharp Stewart locos. However, I had to use a Playmobil loco motor block as it more or less matched the wheelbase and driver diameter of the loco in 16mm scale. However, the Playmobil chassis is not the smoothest runner (with a 3 pole motor) and so, although I really like my model of the original, she doesn't perform quite so well on video and so I probably avoid filming her, although I might run her more frequently than film her.

Rik

[ge_rik]

The latest production. About three times the length of my usual video and definitely one for loco spotters .....
I suggest a glass or cup of your favourite beverage is a necessary accompaniment - unless you are feeling particularly masochistic



Enjoy - or pretend you did ....

Rik

[Peter Butler]

I did enjoy your video Rik, very much! I think it's time we moved north as the weather is clearly so much better there.
What a collection you have, some lovely stock there, and all your own work. A real sense of pride and satisfaction is obvious.
As I have said before, some videos, even those from TV series, often have music or sound effects which completely obliterate narration, which I have experienced with your video also. It would be interesting to hear from others whether this happens to them too, or whether it is a fault on my settings.

[thornmini]

A lovely video Rik -- enjoyable and very relaxing. Besides having a wealth of locos to choose from for your running sessions, (if I hadn't said it before) your layout is a genuine pleasure to ride about. I never tire of seeing you loving your trains "puttering" in their world. Thanks. Mike

[BertieB]

Enjoyed all the info and the presentation of it — and it’s all sharp!

Didn’t have any problems with the audio — I don’t think you speak over any noisy background or music(?). And you couldn’t have taken us through so much info without a voiceover... Triffic.