York show, and some big engines

[mickoo]

Well, round trip of 450 miles, eight hours there (best not ask) and three and a half back, was it worth it?

Probably, met some WT folk and had a nice chat, a fair spread of layouts across many scales, genres and target audience. For me however it was Laramie depot that I went to see most of all, I'd heard of it through Simon on here but that was about it. The layout is work in progress and quite sparse and for me, works better for it as the eye is focused on the engines and these are 'big' engines.

In no particular order we start with the Big Boys, I much prefer the squatter more chunky Challenger class but these do not fail to impress.





Followed by a small shunter, class unknown and yes I could find out but it's been a looooong day!



An overall view of the access roads down the side of the round house.



And by far and a way, the star of the show, It's UP, it's a Turbine and a Veranda to boot...boom!





Finally these little beasties caught my eye, I think they are ready made and I'm not sure of the scale but could be Gauge 3 or the Narrow Gauge equivalent, don't think they are live steam, though I could be wrong. Now an NGG16 in this scale would be very impressive but I'd not throw one of these away if the opportunity ever arose to acquire one....funds permitting.



Enjoy.

Mick D

 

[Scale7JB]

Spectacular!

I'm guessing the UP's are HO?

I do have a soft spot for Union Pacific as my dad had a very high end challenger and UP50c in 7mm years ago. He didn't have anywhere to run them so sadly sold them years ago. Dread to think what they're worth now..

JB.

 

[mickoo]

JB, afraid not, these are 7mm models, they are really big!

Selling a Challenger AND U50C

I missed out on an Ebay bare brass N&W Y6 by about £100 and a C&O H7 by the same amount, I wish I'd of been a bit braver with my bidding now. Both required some serious attention and the detail isn't what we're used to on this side of the pond, they tend to be a bit more representational when it comes to details. They would both have needed new drive trains as well.

Oddly just been looking through my UP books tonight at UP's heavy haulers, U50BB, U50C, DDA40X etc, all firm favorites here in this camp If I had to put them in order of 'I want one' then it'd be Veranda, U50C and Challenger.

That turn table, if authentic, and I've no doubt it is, would be a 135 footer which makes it nearly a meter long. I worked out when I got home that I could just get one in as a photo plank scenario in my study

Forgot to say, the Veranda is obviously without it's fuel oil tender, so is clearly moving around on it's internal diesel donkey engine which fed one traction motor for shunting.

Mick D

 

[Big Train James]

Well the switcher is numbered as a tr5, but if it's anything other than an Atlas sw8/9, then I've got a full head of hair. Not that Atlas could ever screw that up. It's not like they put the cross pieces that support the radiator screen on top of the screen instead of below it! Anyhoo....I think there is some photographic evidence that the veranda turbines sometimes ran without tenders on the road. I doubt it was often. Most photos show them with tenders. But I don't think it was an absolute. Of course, I've got a UP turbine book in a box in storage back in Denver.

Lovely models. I grew up a UP big power fan thanks to my dad. The things do tend to make an impression on you when you're 8 or 9 years old. I saw the dd40ax's in person as a kid. The Challenger as an adult. And I may yet manage to see a Big Boy under steam in my lifetime, if the UP steam shop can get its act together someday.

Now, I was going to hook you up. Somebody just had a Kohs Challenger for sale on the OGR forum, with delivery possible at the upcoming Chicago meet. I could have picked it up for you. But now the listing is gone. Not sure where it went. See some photos of one weathered in this thread. I'll be happy to keep an eye open for suitable models at the meet. There's always a lot of brass for sale. Seriously, if you want me to look for something, let me know.

 

[Mike W]

The Fairlies look like 16mm scale to me and I'm guessing that's the arm of Liz the painter on the right?

Mike

 

[lankytank]

Close Mike, that's Liz on the left.......... Couple of the FSB Fairlies from the San Cheng stable, on the table

 

[Ian@StEnochs]

I too got to the show yesterday. Like all mixed shows there are must see bits and others which just get a cursory glance depending on ones persuasion.
I was most impressed with Knaresborough, the scenic work is of the highest order, and really captures the area.
The LNW/GWR joint 4mm roundy roundy, it had a complicated name which I cannot remember, was nice with some very attractive stock and it ran well.
There were some nice scratch built NER locos, on the GOG stand, in the early livery.
I watched a lady paint and line a gauge 3 Jubilee for a while without disturbing her. I first saw her paint some of the underframe with Humbrol black and next time I passed she was adding lining with a Bob Moor liner! I need light and quiet to paint but she was working away in the complete opposite. The Double Fairlies she had painted were impressive so it works for her.
The sound on the Big Boys on Laramie was quite good but the illusion of reality was shattered when the loco gave a big toy train lurch as it rolled onto the turn table!
The traders did not do very well from me, I only bought some limonene to try on some plastic wagons and a couple of cast figures.
All in a good show but I think that the 'Old Boys Club' which is the 'Demonstrators' needs to be refreshed. Same faces, same seats and in some cases same projects on show! The lineup hasn't changed in years. You dont see the same layouts two years running so why the same faces?
Ian.

 

[mickoo]

Well the switcher is numbered as a tr5, but if it's anything other than an Atlas sw8/9, then I've got a full head of hair. Not that Atlas could ever screw that up. It's not like they put the cross pieces that support the radiator screen on top of the screen instead of below it! Anyhoo....I think there is some photographic evidence that the veranda turbines sometimes ran without tenders on the road. I doubt it was often. Most photos show them with tenders. But I don't think it was an absolute. Of course, I've got a UP turbine book in a box in storage back in Denver.

Lovely models. I grew up a UP big power fan thanks to my dad. The things do tend to make an impression on you when you're 8 or 9 years old. I saw the dd40ax's in person as a kid. The Challenger as an adult. And I may yet manage to see a Big Boy under steam in my lifetime, if the UP steam shop can get its act together someday.

Now, I was going to hook you up. Somebody just had a Kohs Challenger for sale on the OGR forum, with delivery possible at the upcoming Chicago meet. I could have picked it up for you. But now the listing is gone. Not sure where it went. See some photos of one weathered in this thread. I'll be happy to keep an eye open for suitable models at the meet. There's always a lot of brass for sale. Seriously, if you want me to look for something, let me know.

Jim,

Thanks for the offer, sadly the pile of 'expendable' cash just got spent on something much more important recently However, when it pays back, which I'm sure it will in time, then I'll be back in the market for some decent US brass and other stock on my list

Verandas, your right, I thought it was only the earlier batch that ran without fuel tenders, but checking my books find that Verandas ran without fuel tenders from mid 54 to around mid 56, though #61 was the first to get a tender in Nov 55.

Mick D

 

[mickoo]

The Fairlies look like 16mm scale to me and I'm guessing that's the arm of Liz the painter on the right?

Mike

Close Mike, that's Liz on the left.......... Couple of the FSB Fairlies from the San Cheng stable, on the table

Cheers guys, I knew I'd seen them on a web site somewhere....one of those you fall into when you follow one of Steve Cooks links I think they were also selling off the bodies on Ebay a while back, I couldn't grasp the size on the ebay shots but if I'd of known they were this big I'd of grabbed one as I dimly recall they were going for silly low money....for something that big, or more correctly, very good value for money.

Mick D

 

[mickoo]

I too got to the show yesterday. Like all mixed shows there are must see bits and others which just get a cursory glance depending on ones persuasion.
I was most impressed with Knaresborough, the scenic work is of the highest order, and really captures the area.
The LNW/GWR joint 4mm roundy roundy, it had a complicated name which I cannot remember, was nice with some very attractive stock and it ran well.
There were some nice scratch built NER locos, on the GOG stand, in the early livery.
I watched a lady paint and line a gauge 3 Jubilee for a while without disturbing her. I first saw her paint some of the underframe with Humbrol black and next time I passed she was adding lining with a Bob Moor liner! I need light and quiet to paint but she was working away in the complete opposite. The Double Fairlies she had painted were impressive so it works for her.
The sound on the Big Boys on Laramie was quite good but the illusion of reality was shattered when the loco gave a big toy train lurch as it rolled onto the turn table!
The traders did not do very well from me, I only bought some limonene to try on some plastic wagons and a couple of cast figures.
All in a good show but I think that the 'Old Boys Club' which is the 'Demonstrators' needs to be refreshed. Same faces, same seats and in some cases same projects on show! The lineup hasn't changed in years. You dont see the same layouts two years running so why the same faces?
Ian.

Ian, interesting synopsis and pretty much how I saw it too.

I've not been to the York show before but had the exact same feeling at the last Reading show, drove (round trip) 400 miles in around seven hours, paid, entered, chatted to a couple of WT guys for 30 mins, walked around the show for 20 and left. Like you, same faces, same stalls and same customers.

At the time I was a bit jaded with things and looking for something left field, Reading just didn't do it (and in fairness I don't think any other O gauge show would of either), I know it's predominately a trade show but maybe that's where a lot of the O gauge shows fall down, too many traders viz layouts. I also respect that there are not as many O gauge layouts on the circuit either which will not help the balance.

The above is not a criticism and I always ask myself when feeling this way, what could I do to change it, the answer is nothing at present, so I'm grateful for those that do make the effort for those that do appreciate it, year in and year out. But your right, it does sometimes feel like the old boys club just meeting at a different venue.

I think I overheard that Laramie sound is not actually on the locos but on the layout, that's why they got such good bass on the exhaust and yes, it wasn't without it's gremlins, but it is work in progress. What would of been nice on Laramie is a A-B-B-A set of F units with their 567 engines idling away, I don't think a full quartet would get on the table. But, split into two halves it'd work, or a cab unit dragging a B set from the roundhouse stall and then making it up into a full quartet would be a nice action scenario.

One thing that did strike me, was how small OO/HO is/was, I always remember them being bigger, much like Mars bars and packets of crisps I suppose

The big Fno3 layout or what ever scale it was worked well, very backwater and nicely done I think.

Overall I liked the diversity, so yes it was worth it in the end.

Mick D

 

[Ian@StEnochs]

I forgot to mention Borchester but listening to the Archers reminded me!!
It was just as I remember it from the MRC. Very well modelled for the period and operated very earnestly with the operators following cards.
Like you Mick I find 4mm very small now but you cannot beat it if you want long trains in a reasonable space. However if you like locos 7mm lets you appreciate the detail.
Ian

 

[Compton castle]

I seen the Laramie round house layout at the Bristol show last year and it was not as far along as it is now but it is quite spectacular

 

[David Varley]

'Brixham Bay' was the highlight for me. Trader/layout balance seemed too much in favour of the traders - much prefer the smaller shows these days.

 

[unklian]

Love those big Union Pacific jobs, and they must be impressive in 0 scale. The Fairlies ( electric BTW) should be available from a certain garden railway emporium in Princes Risborough probably for a four figure sum. The NG16 Garrets were made by Accucraft at the same scale and live steam, and will set you back a hefty four figure sum if you can find someone who will part with one....