OK, I admit it, I'm a heretic. I don't build models in 16mm scale: (BOO HISS) What's more I'm not even ashamed. Maybe that's why I'm only an associate member? Anyway, you have been warned so don't read on if you're easily shocked.
VICTORIA was the first locomotive to run on the Perfect and Heavenly Tramway and was built by John Slee and Company of Earlestown (Mr Slater of the Railway Magazine please note the second 'e') in 1897. But you know that already 'cos you've read my book (if you havn't buy now while stocks last: 'The Plynlimon and Hafan Tramway' - alternative title - from Gemini Publishing, 23 Palace Gardens Terrace, London W8, only £2 inc p & p) and there's no point in my relating its history here, save to say that it was a total failure and it didn't have four cylinders. I chose to model it in the sensible, imperial scale of.31"=1'0" or 1"=lyd or 1/36 (whichever you prefer). Why? Well for one thing it forces me to make everything myself, even more so than in 16mm, but the blame really lies with Bill Strickland. A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of a visit to that holy of holies, Bills workshop, where his Vale of Rheidol 2-6-2 and GOWRIE were nearing completion. "This is the scale for me" I thought and hurried home to start on, what? Doubts as to my ability began to weaken my determination; after all, I had never built a loco completely from scratch before. "No point in working in that scale unless you're as good as Bill", they cried, and the months passed.
Meanwhile, I was attempting to write my book on the Plynlimon and Hafan and ideas were forming of building a layout of the same. The original idea was to build in 4mm scale and model the whole line, until I calculated it would be about 150ft long and 16ft high: Anyway, I was becoming bored with the problems of 4mm - problems of unreliable operation, availability of decent motors, modelling sufficient detail and the seeming impossibility of creating that aura of the brute force of the steam engine. So what about 16mm? That seemed to be what everyone else was turning to. Well, I would certainly get the detail in the stock but what about the layout? So eventually I took up-1" scale as a happy compromise (it is near to 8mm, i.e. half way between the two) but, just to be bloody minded, I rejected Bill's 16.5mm gauge (scale 2'0") for one of 2"; dead scale for the Plynlimon's 2'3". As I want to run stock from 2'0" to 2'6", I prefer to keep gauge inaccuracies to a minimum; 1/12" in this case, which I find tolerable. Incidentally, 3ft gauge works out at 1" and 18inch at 2"; neat isn't it? Work commenced on the Plynlimon's VICTORIA, a unique and beautiful vertical boilered beast - a sort of 'GT' deWinton. She looked easy apart from the outside frames and fly cranks. There is no outside valve gear and, as only two photographs of her are known to exist (from which I have prepared a drawing, given free with this issue) it seemed that my guess was as good as anyone's as to what went on inside the cab. The motor is a 005, stuck up the boiler where else? - with power taken to the leading axle (yes, it does have a front end) via a 40:1 gear reduction and three idler gears, which results in a lovely, slow, limping gait. Moreso in reverse for some reason, but then the original never worked properly. The idler gears are 'Braver' products for N gauge (ugh:), the only ones I could find with horizontal teeth. Don't try and mesh idler gears with normal pitched tooth gears; I did and had to build a new gear box. It made an interesting noise though. Rivets were a problem as a spring loaded centre punch caused far too much distortion and I couldn't muster the money for a proper rivet embossing tool. (Still can't). They were eventually produced, quite well I think, by the use of a blunt no50 bit in the Unimat vertical drill; with the height adjusted so that it didn't quite come through the metal. Don't forget to place a strip of wood under the work. The lining is a little over scale but a glance at the photo of the original shows why. Better thick than absent I say.
VICTORIA was the first locomotive to run on the Perfect and Heavenly Tramway and was built by John Slee and Company of Earlestown (Mr Slater of the Railway Magazine please note the second 'e') in 1897. But you know that already 'cos you've read my book (if you havn't buy now while stocks last: 'The Plynlimon and Hafan Tramway' - alternative title - from Gemini Publishing, 23 Palace Gardens Terrace, London W8, only £2 inc p & p) and there's no point in my relating its history here, save to say that it was a total failure and it didn't have four cylinders. I chose to model it in the sensible, imperial scale of.31"=1'0" or 1"=lyd or 1/36 (whichever you prefer). Why? Well for one thing it forces me to make everything myself, even more so than in 16mm, but the blame really lies with Bill Strickland. A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of a visit to that holy of holies, Bills workshop, where his Vale of Rheidol 2-6-2 and GOWRIE were nearing completion. "This is the scale for me" I thought and hurried home to start on, what? Doubts as to my ability began to weaken my determination; after all, I had never built a loco completely from scratch before. "No point in working in that scale unless you're as good as Bill", they cried, and the months passed.
Meanwhile, I was attempting to write my book on the Plynlimon and Hafan and ideas were forming of building a layout of the same. The original idea was to build in 4mm scale and model the whole line, until I calculated it would be about 150ft long and 16ft high: Anyway, I was becoming bored with the problems of 4mm - problems of unreliable operation, availability of decent motors, modelling sufficient detail and the seeming impossibility of creating that aura of the brute force of the steam engine. So what about 16mm? That seemed to be what everyone else was turning to. Well, I would certainly get the detail in the stock but what about the layout? So eventually I took up-1" scale as a happy compromise (it is near to 8mm, i.e. half way between the two) but, just to be bloody minded, I rejected Bill's 16.5mm gauge (scale 2'0") for one of 2"; dead scale for the Plynlimon's 2'3". As I want to run stock from 2'0" to 2'6", I prefer to keep gauge inaccuracies to a minimum; 1/12" in this case, which I find tolerable. Incidentally, 3ft gauge works out at 1" and 18inch at 2"; neat isn't it? Work commenced on the Plynlimon's VICTORIA, a unique and beautiful vertical boilered beast - a sort of 'GT' deWinton. She looked easy apart from the outside frames and fly cranks. There is no outside valve gear and, as only two photographs of her are known to exist (from which I have prepared a drawing, given free with this issue) it seemed that my guess was as good as anyone's as to what went on inside the cab. The motor is a 005, stuck up the boiler where else? - with power taken to the leading axle (yes, it does have a front end) via a 40:1 gear reduction and three idler gears, which results in a lovely, slow, limping gait. Moreso in reverse for some reason, but then the original never worked properly. The idler gears are 'Braver' products for N gauge (ugh:), the only ones I could find with horizontal teeth. Don't try and mesh idler gears with normal pitched tooth gears; I did and had to build a new gear box. It made an interesting noise though. Rivets were a problem as a spring loaded centre punch caused far too much distortion and I couldn't muster the money for a proper rivet embossing tool. (Still can't). They were eventually produced, quite well I think, by the use of a blunt no50 bit in the Unimat vertical drill; with the height adjusted so that it didn't quite come through the metal. Don't forget to place a strip of wood under the work. The lining is a little over scale but a glance at the photo of the original shows why. Better thick than absent I say.
So there she sits in all her glory complete with scale models of her real crew, just waiting for a layout to run on. The figures are Ks .0 0 gauge - just right for little Welshmen - but the people I am making for the layout, if it ever gets done, are converted from 54mm (1/32) military figures. Being cast in white-metal, they provide some useful ballast. It is nice to be able to say "all my own work" and it wasn't really very difficult after all.
Drawings for Victoria can be found in the Coffeepots II article.