A spot of G3

Steph Dale

Western Thunderer
Blimey, that was quick Steph :)
Thank you very much (and congrats on achieving the post Mr Technical Committee Chair :thumbs: )
Steve

Hehe, no problem. I only remembered it because I was involved in some discussion a few years ago about whether we should get another run done. I suspect the current stock might be the last so I'd get your order in while you can. For all I know it may be worth that £20 someday!
And thanks for your congratulations!
Steph
 

adrian

Flying Squad
As I understand it the book is just the collection of articles that Eddie Cook published in the Gazette in the 1970's, fortunately with the online archive the full book is available online for GOG members, just search on author.

Although the two loco's on the front cover are not actually Eddie Cooke loco's but were built by David Moore, son of Bob Moore (R.L. Moore Engineering), in the mid 80's to early 90's. The Deeley Fish engine IIRC his second build and twin cylinder with Stephensons Link motion. The Jubilee Rooke is one of the finest scale steamers I have ever seen, it is true to prototype 3 cylinder live steamer with walchaerts valve gear.
 

Steph Dale

Western Thunderer
Adrian,
I think you're correct abut the contents and that it must therefore be in the Gazette archive. I reckon a couple of quid to the Guild stores will still be better value than trying to print from the archive though.
Steph
 

Mike W

Western Thunderer
That Gauge 3 Experiment was made by Jas. Carson of Birmingham and was introduced in 1906. It was instrumental in me modelling in the scale as I acquired the mortal remains of one which I intended to be the centrepiece in my 7mm scale model room. Running a rule over it I was surprised to see it is spot on everywhere. They also run very well with two cylinders, full Joy valvegear which can be notched up and reversed. The main castings were gunmetal, but Carson went bust and the model was continued in production by Bassett Lowke, who gradually cheapened it with more cast iron, so that's one way to tell how old the model is. B-L also replaced the Joy valvegear with Greenly's simplified version.

Carson soon added a Precursor and Precursor tank to the range, using may of the same parts (as did the real engines). They also made NER and GWR models, but in those early days LNWR were by far the lost popular with the public and Gauge 3 the most common scale.

Difficult to estimate how many Carson and B-L Experiments survive today, but probably two or three dozen.

Mike
 

Steve Cook

Flying Squad
Thanks for filling in some of the blanks on the Experiment Mike, interesting to note that it had a significant influence on your modelling - I can see why :)
Do you still have yours and was it resurrected?
Steve
 

Steve Cook

Flying Squad
Jim / Steph / Adrian

Thank you for the O Gauge Live Steam book feedback. I'm now after a copy :)
I've searched through the GOG website but I can't find a mention of it, or whether they sell outside of the Guild like G1MRA do. Would any of you chaps be able to shed any light?
Many Thanks
Steve
 

Steph Dale

Western Thunderer
Steve,
It's under Services-Guild Products-Publications
I'm not sure whether it's available to non-members. If you find it doesn't work drop me a PM and I'll see how I can help.
Steph
 

Mike W

Western Thunderer
Thanks Steve,

Yes, I have it, still in need of a rebuild but boiler passed a test and chassis has run on air! Have acquired a couple more Carson engines since in similar condition, but my Precursor Tank is having a boiler test this month, so there is just a little progress. I guess that's a problem when doing this semi-professionally - there's never time for my own modelling.

Mike
 

Steve Cook

Flying Squad
Yes, I have it, still in need of a rebuild but boiler passed a test and chassis has run on air!

Pleased to hear that Mike :) I might have to try and persuade you to take some photos in its current state, I couldn't see the valve gear particularly well at the GTG.

Have acquired a couple more Carson engines since in similar condition, but my Precursor Tank is having a boiler test this month, so there is just a little progress. I guess that's a problem when doing this semi-professionally - there's never time for my own modelling.

I guess not, although any forward progress is just that :) Sounds like a nice collection to me - were all of the Carson engines built at half inch scale?


Hope the Precursor tank boiler passes its test.
Steve
 

Mike W

Western Thunderer
All Carsons were half inch. Indeed all Gauge 3 was half inch until around the 1950s I think. Sometimes it shows when run with more modern larger models, but sometimes the old commercial models were a bit overscale anyway.

Carson also made some magnificent carriages. Their 12-wheelers were made of cast aluminium sections fixed together to make the sides. Not exactly correct, but impressive. So that's a 65ft 6in carriage and half inch scale, that makes it. .... errr, that makes it .... big!

Mike
 

Steve Cook

Flying Squad
Thanks Mike :)
The carriages sound rather epic, a internet trawl hasn't turned any photos up yet, but they'll be some somewhere I'm sure.
Steve
 

Mike W

Western Thunderer
Steve,

Here's a contemporary drawing by Carson of the valvegear in their Experiment. Some of the rod lengths are very different to the real thing, but it is full and un-simplified Joy gear. However, I am not convinced that it is correct at the top, above the weighshaft. The weghshaft itself, by the way, is cast brass with curved guides.

MikeCarson valvegear.jpg
 

Mike W

Western Thunderer
My comment above that I think there is an error, is wrong. i.e. its correct, even though in real life the pin holding the valve levers to the valve rods is separate to the slipper operating in the curved guides and above it.

Usually, Joy valvegear has a slide fixed to the valve levers just down from the joint with the valve rods. For anyone not familiar with Joy gear, the radius link is fixed to the frames at its front, and as the wheels go round the correcting links and valve levers bob up and down. The weighshaft (marked "curved guide" on the drawing), can be pivoted by the driver using the reversing wheel and reach rod, so that the curved guides are angled forwards or backwards. As the levers all bob up and down and the slipper (not really shown) slides in the curved guides, so the valve rods move forwards or backwards, depending on the angle of the weighshaft and guides.

The drawing shows it in mid-gear.

From a modelling point of view, Joy valvegear gives fast valve movement with no eccentrics (hooray!), but unless the rods and pins are kept small it can all get rather wide, making clearances tight. Also, at its front limit, that pin in the connecting rod is VERY close to the motionplate.

Mike
 

Mike W

Western Thunderer
There's not been much Gauge 3 on here recently, so here's an example of entry-level, showing the scale doesn't have to be expensive. The body is a Bachmann Troublesome Truck completely unaltered except for prizing off the separate face on the end. The underframe has been filed, filled and patched, then fitted with all-new running gear, brakes, buffers and couplings.

I have been told you can buy the wagon bodies for as little as £10. Who said Gauge 3 was expensive?

Mike
 

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Dikitriki

Flying Squad
Hi Mike,

As G3 is a foreign country to me, can you say where you get the extras bits and their cost to turn a troublesome truck into such an attractive (and seemingly authentic) item of rolling stock?

Thanks,

Richard
 

Steve Cook

Flying Squad
Hi Richard
Just in case Mike has a modesty moment, I can highly recommend Williams Models as a source of G3 parts. Head down to Components on the menu on the LHS. Try to avoid clicking on Wagon Kits, its dangerous :)
Steve
 

Scale7JB

Western Thunderer
Not only did I click on wagon kits, I clicked on coach kits and loco kits too..0

It's a good thing I'm a bit strapped at the moment...

JB.
 

Arty

Western Thunderer
Hi Richard
Just in case Mike has a modesty moment, I can highly recommend Williams Models as a source of G3 parts. Head down to Components on the menu on the LHS. Try to avoid clicking on Wagon Kits, its dangerous :)
Steve

All you need is a few of Mikes bits, some bits of wood and a sprinkling of styrene and eventually you have a wagon ( still not finished )Tank35.jpg
 
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