Review Of The Year - Part 4

And so to the final three months of 2021 as we look back on what Himself and I got up to...

October

In the first of these review posts I remarked on how there had been little progress with my prototype for a model of the FR's infrastructure well wagon.

I decided not to wait any longer for a bespoke etched brass part for the durbar plate deck and had a go at seeing if I could cast it in resin instead. 

First, I cast copies of the small piece of brass I had in stock, then placed them side by side to make a large cast sheet which I cut and shaped into pieces to fit onto the wagon, and used them as masters for a final set of castings.

Round about this time Himself was adding more finishing details to the Dinas shunter.

And in a surprise development, he announced the purchase of another Worsley Works body kit for Vale of Ffestiniog, because he'd decided to make a model in its current two-tone green livery, which will look more at home on Bron Hebog than the original National Power livery on our first model.

November

A few weeks later, and number 9 had been painted and was posed for its first pictures on the layout.
 

By this time painting was underway on the Hudson toast rack carriages which featured prominently in the previous blog post covering the summer months.

And the building and painting of Ashbury 21 was completed, too.

December

By the year end, along with apparently the majority of 009 modellers (and a lot of OO ones, too) we were taking delivery of the exquisite Bachmann Double Fairlie models, the existence of which had only just been revealed to a shocked ready-to-run market.

Our choice of a 1960s Earl of Merioneth was completely out of keeping for either Dduallt or Bron Hebog, but the way the model railway market operates these days with limited production runs it's a case of 'you snooze, you lose', so we knew this was going to be our best opportunity to get one at a 'reasonable' price, and I've always had a fascination with this engine, having never had the chance to see it running.

My childhood memories of the FR also revolve around green engines and red carriages, so it's a nice piece of nostalgia for me.

We were intrigued to find out how the a plastic RTR model - complete with coreless motor, flywheels, DCC chip and sound would compare against our kit-built, Mashima-powered, brass Backwoods Fairlies, and filmed the trials for your entertainment.

A pretty conclusive result......so don't expect to see our Backwoods models being retired any time soon.

I rounded off the year by laying the narrow gauge side of the 'test track' project at home.

The early weeks of 2022 will, hopefully, see us getting this wired up and ready to start, ahem, 'testing' things on....

Best wishes to everyone who drops by this blog for the new modelling year. 

1870 And All That

The arrival of a radical new locomotive in the top left hand corner of Wales always brings the irresistable urge to put it to the test and see what it's capable of.

In 1870 it was the FR's pioneer Double Fairlie Little Wonder and in 2021 it's the Bachmann 009 version which I suspect will be as much of a game-changer for the scale as the real locomotives were for the FR and for narrow gauge railways in general.

This time we didn't bring along Russian Imperial observers - just me with my iphone - but the principle was the same: find a hill and hang the longest train you can on the back and see what it can do.

150 years ago the newcomer Little Wonder was up against the incumbant in the form of Large England Welsh Pony.

For our version we pitted the DCC sound fitted Earl of Merioneth against the eldest of our fleet of Backwoods Miniatures Fairlies, Merddin Emrys.

The results were obvious enough if you watch the video, so I won't explain it all here, but a little bit of background context will be helpful.

The Bachmann model has been pulled apart and some extra weight added in the empty space in the tanks, but unfortunately I forgot to bring along my digital scales for the test so I can't tell you how much was added, or how the RTR model compares to the Backwoods which is 100% brass construction.

What I can say is that despite the alterations it wasn't able to haul much more than the Bachmann model of Livingston Thompson which has not been touched - and will probably be left alone as a result of these tests. 

So are we disappointed?  Not really.

It would have been nice if it could have handled a rake of six, but I'm not sure that the real locomotive - which by the end of its working life was beginning to struggle by all accounts - could take many more than four of the current FR super saloon carriages up the 1:40 grade.

The capablity of the Backwoods models on our layout far exceeds the prototype, indeed, our Merddin was limited only by the output of the motor in this test, requiring full power and feeling distinctly warm to the touch afterwards.

It's more than 25 years old now, and such is the design of the Backwoods kit it's impossible to get the motor out to replace it, so we need to take care of the old girl.

What's more, nether of the models we have bought should ever run on either Bron Hebog or Dduallt if we're being prototypical, so they're strictly for Rule 1 specials.

The green Earl looked very nice on a set of 4 carriages in red livery, and I suspect once we've given the carriage bogies an overhaul it could handle 5 quite comfortably, and LT will look good on a vintage freight or a short Victorian set running a short service from Port to Beddgelert.

What is sure is that as gorgeous as the Bachman models look, the Backwoods Fairlies aren't going to be retired from mainline duties on our layouts any time soon!

 

 

 

Mystery Of The Missing Fairlie

2020 was rounded off nicely with the delivery through the letterbox of the latest edition of the FR magazine.

These days there's very little within the 'news' pages of the magazine which we haven't heard about on social media - either officially or unofficially - but it usually contains a host of really interesting feature articles, and comment on what's happening in the wider district, which is essential reading.

Along with the quarterly Heritage Group Journal these publication are worth the annual membership fees on their own, and I would commend them to anyone who is thinking about joining up.

There was, however, something which jumped out at me in the piece by the company chairman which I don't think can pass without comment.

Mentioning progress with the new James Spooner he referred to it moving closer to 'being our third Fairlie'. 

Excuse me, Sir, but I rather think you mean our fourth!

We can give the benefit of the doubt and presume that what was meant was a third double engine in traffic, but I'm sure I'm not alone in wanting to ensure that Earl of Merioneth is not airbrushed out of the fleet.

'The Square' has many supporters.  And I think most of us have accepted that it faces a prolonged period out of traffic - and we also understand that at this time the railway has many far more pressing priorities - but I for one will never accept that its future is only as a static exhibit.

There has been too much of a crucial period in FR history - the Return to Blaenau era - already lost to us, and the Earl is one of the key artefacts which remain with us and must be cherished and actively celebrated.

It will soon be half a Century since construction of the locomotive began - it is heritage in its own right. 

Consider, for a moment, the extensive 'rebuilding' to return Welsh Pony to service, or read in this edition of the magazine of what considerable repairs and replacements are required to overhaul Linda, and ask yourself if the work which is needed on Earl is really of a different magnitude?

No one expects that next overhaul to begin anytime soon, but begin - one day - it must. And in the meantime words matter.

We need to be clear: James Spooner is the FR's fourth Fairlie.

Fairlie Colourful

Himself is in the early stages of painting Livingston Thompson

The challenge with this one is to make it look convincingly neglected as if it has spent 15 years in Minffordd Yard.

At the moment it has been given some initial coats of dirty black and green and posed in its train formation with Earl of Merioneth and bogie wagon 63.

This time Himself is using Railmatch standard loco green in place of our usual Humbrol number 3 and it does look a lot duller.

The nameplates are just tacked in place because the finished model won’t have any - just rusty oblong patches where they used to be - so they are just there as a marker for now.

I think it’s going to look very effective and hopefully quite a conversation starter, whenever exhibitions resume.....

Under And Inside

I’ve been getting on with some of the detailing jobs on Livingston Thompson.

It’s hard to keep track from the few photographs I’ve seen taken over a decade or more it was in store of the parts it still had on it when it was taken for its trips up and down the line, but it would appear that it did still have its ash pans in place, so I’m making up a representation in styrene.

The other key job - which would stand out like a sore thumb if it wasn’t done - is to fit out the coal space in the bunkers on the stoker’s side.

You might also notice that I’ve removed the handbrake and reverser mouldings from the sides of the firebox because it would appear LT lost both of those when it was retired - did they get transferred to the new Earl of Merioneth ?

In which case, where did the parts Livingston Thompson has in the cab now come from?

Hidden Treasures

The recent transfer of two of my a favourite FR locomotives to a shed at the furthest reaches of the railway reminds me that we also have a collection of out of service engines which rarely see the light of day.

In our case they are hiding in plain sight on a shelf in Himself's study.

The most notable of this 'heritage collection' is our original model of Earl of Merioneth which was 'kit-bashed' around a white metal Langley Double Fairlie, and its diesel-locomotive chassis with its absurdly small wheels.

It was retired from service more than 20 years ago when it was replaced by our current machine which was adapted from a Backwoods Miniatures kit.

We also have two old Ladies in this retirement home for old engines, both of them from the Dundas white metal kits.

Linda was also relegated by the appearance of a Backwooods kit, but she still makes a fine model with her Ibertren chassis adapted with outside fly cranks and the conical chimney she acquired in the 1980s during an experiment with gas producer coal firing.

The end of service for Blanche was more abrupt after she failed in the middle of an exhibition with a detached fly crank and has never been properly repaired and now sits with her one of her false outside frames missing.

A Christmas Message

With thanks to Richard Marsh and FRCo for permission to reproduce image

Bells And Whistles

The latest FR magazine arrived through the letter box the other day which is always a good thing.

I was pleased to see it came with a new leaflet making an appeal for the funding to finish the restoration of Welsh Pony, which is something I called for on this blog a couple of months ago.

(Not that I'm taking any credit, I'm sure the wheels were in motion anyway.)

It was also making the case for cash to pay for all the bits to build the new James  Spooner, complete with ornate bells, without robbing the mortal remains of Earl of Merioneth as it goes into its enforced hibernation.

There was a statement in the leaflet that struck me as a little odd, though.

It explains, in not so many words, that the Earl is knackered and needs a new boiler, new tanks and new carrier frame.

Therefore, it says, it makes sense to use these new parts as the basis for a brand new locomotive.

How so?

I get that these parts are the basic ingredients of a Fairlie superstructure, but why does it 'make sense' to designate it as a new locomotive?

Why not consider it a rebuilding of the Earl, (in its existing shape, of course) in the best FR tradition?

It is the precise opposite of the logic of the Welsh Pony project.

With that engine requiring a new boiler and new frames critics have asked why not have left the original alone and called the new one Little Giant?

I can't help thinking that the James Spooner project only 'makes sense' if you start from the assumption that all Fairlies should be curvy and not angular like the dear old 'Square'.

That said, what does make sense about the appeal, and is the reason I endorse it, is that it will ensure that my favourite Fairlie will be kept intact and not suffer the indignity of Livingston Thompson, which was unceremoniously dumped, denuded of all its ancillaries, resting on a pair of slate wagons for a decade and a half before it was done up for display.

I know there are many of us who are determined 'the mighty square' will return to action one day, and your support of this appeal will make that more likely.

Square Go

I had a trip down memory lane a couple of weeks ago when a friend revealed he is planning to make a model of Earl of Merioneth aka  'The Mighty Square' using one of the Langley white metal kits as the starting point.

I told him that this was how Himself built the first of our models of it around 25 years ago, so I thought it might be nice to dig it out for another look.

The key to our model was that we used as much of the Langley kit as we could as a solid base to build up the magnificently modernist (and under-appreciated) superstructure of the Earl.

So beneath those iconic side tanks, which were cut out of styrene, is the outline of a curvy Spooner Fairlie.

One of the things that made this a 'no brainer' is that the Earl's tanks are flush with the bottom of the superstructure whereas the traditional design has a lip which makes provides a very secure footing for the overlays.

We also filed down and reshaped the one-piece casting for the cab roof and cut a hole for the luxury sunroof.

For the very plain D shape smokeboxes and the chimneys we obtained examples of the white metal castings from the Dundas kit for Linda and Blanche.

All these pearls of wisdom were duly passed onto my friend who is blogging about the progress on his own model.

My reward for all this assistance was the publishing of a scurrilous slur which suggested that this faithful old model was withdrawn from service and replaced another built using a Backwoods kit because it was unreliable!

I feel compelled to set the record straight and state very clearly that this model, powered by an adapted Bachmann chassis, was epitome of reliability.

Let there be no doubt that the primary motivation for the construction of a second Earl was the absurdly small wheels on the old diesel chassis.

To even suggest that Himself would accept an unreliable locomotive is tantamount to a defamation or the worst kind.

So there!

Horrible History

I know I bang on on this blog about the 1980's and the tin cars, etc, but I make no apology for doing so again.

It seems sometimes like the FR treats the era as its dirty little secret and I'd like to see it getting a little more acknowledgement from a heritage perspective.

Once Earl of Merioneth is out of traffic, and all but one of the 'tin cars' sent off to their new homes, there will be very little to represent a very considerable chunk of the FR's history to be seen on the rails.

(Although I suppose you could argue the very railway itself - the Deviation - is enough of a reminder of the 1970's and '80's)

When we first built Dduallt we set it in 1988 which was the last year the passing loop was in use and also the transition in carriage liveries from plain red to the two tone livery which persists to this day.

So feeling, as I do at the moment, that this era is a little under-appreciated I got our red set out for a play the other day to create some authentic 1980's scenes.

We should the grateful that at least Linda and Blanche are currently wearing the classic FR lined green livery but I would like to start a lobby to get some carriages in Cherry Red before it's too late.

As a start maybe 110, the prototype tin car, could be put back into this livery - and with authentic bus seats if there are any still around - and also the original Barn 104 while it survives in its early 1980's rebuild condition.

A case could also be made for 116 and 123 (ex-101) although they've both had their window positions altered in recent years and been reclassified.

I'm all too aware that mid 1980's was not the FR's finest hour from a presentational perspective, and fully appreciate why the Garrawegian diktats on locomotive and carriage liveries had to be relaxed to make the railway more attractive to the punters.

But consider this.

We have half of our unique and splendid Victorian carriages dressed up in drab 1930's liveries to represent the Colonel Stephens era which was surely the FR's nadir - if you  ignore the period of closure, that is.

If that can be celebrated then why not the 1970's and 80's?

Probably because too many people lived through it and still think it was only yesterday.

Well it wasn't!

In The Beginning

While I was searching through Himself's collection of slides a few days ago, looking for pictures of Earl of Merioneth, I came across some images that I forgot we took of the early stages of construction of Dduallt.

At a guess I would date these pictures as 1992, so pretty much a quarter of a century ago.

As you can see, by this stage he had finished creating the trackbed, which was a very precise operation with the gradient on the spiral, and the track had be wired up and was being tested.

The rolling stock is worthy of note.

This was in the early days of my scratch building carriages in styrene so some of the trains are formed of very weighty white metal GEM kits and the brass Langley bowsiders.

It was also the era before the Backwoods Miniatures kits came along and so our Fairlies tottered along with tiny wheels from an adapted Bachmann diesel chassis sitting beneath a white metal Langley body kit.

The model of the Earl was a fine kit-bashing effort by Himself with the tanks formed from styrene and the smokeboxes and chimneys sourced from Parkside Dundas kits for Linda and Blanche.

The Earl is still with us - sitting on a shelf in Himself's study - but Merddin was donated as a gift to an FR luminary. I think of it now and then and hope it is being well cared for.

Square Deal

I I don't usually do current affairs (in the FR sense) on the blog but I'm going to make the exception on this occasion.

In recent weeks news has broken of a plan to build a 7th Double Fairlie and retire - perhaps permanently, perhaps not - the locomotive known to many of us as The Square.

I'm a little sad about this because Earl of Merioneth  was my childhood FR.

I don't recall ever seeing any other kind of Fairlie before the Earl, and there was only really ever Merddin, because LT was hidden away out of sight.

Its aesthetics were unashamedly modernist - even brutalist,  you might say - but to a child of around 10 years old it was all very impressive.

I mean, imagine, a brand new steam locomotive. Wow!

I don't remember seeing it actually running for years - we only caught glimpses of it in the yard at Boston Lodge as you can see above, which made it seem all the more mysterious.

Its design has always divided opinions and I recently commented on a picture someone posted on Facebook that it was no uglier than Little Wonder.

Reflecting on the news of its looming retirement in the last few days it seems to me that there many parallels.

Little Wonder, as you can see above, was not classically pretty. Not compared to the Spooner machines which followed, at least.

Little Wonder was conceived to haul a greater number of empty slates to Blaenau and nearly a hundred years on the Earl's design was driven by a desire to increase the efficiency of the tourist operation.

It may have been ill-conceived in the design of its axle load-busting fuel capacities but I think it's clear the intentions were the same.

Another uncanny similarity is that both had relatively short active careers before hard nosed commercial decisions brought about their replacement.

Both shook themselves to bits in short order, although unlike Little Wonder great efforts have been made to keep the Earl going since the fundamental boiler design issues became apparent.

Here is an archive snap Himself took of that boiler in the new cradle at Boston Lodge in 1974.

The cradle, by the way, is knackered, as are the notorious square tanks - hence the decision to steal its bogies and put them under a brand new locomotive.

As is well known at the end of the 1980's Earl of Merioneth was treated to a facelift that a Hollywod diva would have been proud of  - a quite remarkable transformation that turned it from a very utilitarian-looking machine into something that, although still unmistakably modern,  had some style about it.

I would like to hope that there will be plans for some meaningful preservation and display of the superstructure and that is is not just dumped in a shed in the way that Livingston Thompson was for a decade and a half.

I am concerned that the FR should not neglect its 1970's heritage.

It was the Back to Blaenau era.

Some of the things that were done then may seem ugly and embarrassing now but in time it will be thought of as one of the most significant periods in the FR's history.

I'm uncomfortable, for example, that all but one of the tin cars are to be scrapped or sold, with only the prototype 110 kept, and none of the production series.

Another example is that currently there are no carriages in all over red. That's a heritage livery, isn't it?

What would we give to still have Little Wonder in a museum as our greatest heritage treasure?

To me, Earl of Merioneth is the Little Wonder of the 20th century and must be treated accordingly.