1/32 TME King Arthur

Simon

Flying Squad
Utterly magnificent, and I wouldn't be surprised if these weren't the most true to scale and best looking live steam Gauge One locomotives ever produced.

But leaving aside the wheel and track standards, just look at the permanent way that locomotive is sitting on.

It bears scant relation to its prototype, it is sitting atop the usual roofing felt and is liberally christened with guano to boot.

To me the resulting visual disparity makes a complete nonsense of having a locomotive of such quality.

I guess it just reinforces the "all about the locomotive" aspect of G1 - leaves me completely cold I'm afraid.

Simon
 

Thirtysecond

Western Thunderer
Those pictures were taken by the customer on the customer's own track. But as a builder Chris cannot dictate what sort of track his locos sit on or what they haul for that matter. When it leaves TME premises, the customer can do anything he wants with it!!

To be fair some tracks are built purely for test purposes. There's little point in having ballast, scenery or even cleaning the bird crap off if all you are doing is testing a model before an outing to a show or to a member's get-together, or after a repair. TME has a track but it is a simple oval and passing loop built solely to test and to run in locos coming off the production line. It is definitely a "no-frills" track but fulfils its required function perfectly.
 
Thanks for the photos Derek! Some pepole seem to find joy in finding fault and criticising. The locomotives look superb and I for one cannot wait to see them. Of course the other thing about gauge 1 is it takes a lot of time space and money to build a track and most people are just grateful for he opportunity to run their locos at whatever venue people open up out of the kindness of their hearts. Maintaining a large track to these standards can be probibative in terms of time and cost and you'd never get any running done. Please keep the pictures coming, much appreciated.

Stuart
 

Thirtysecond

Western Thunderer
The third loco to be delivered is Sir Gawain in its earliest Southern Railway form - just after grouping. So it has no smoke deflectors, a vacuum pump, flush riveting, short drain pipes, snifter valves and quite a few other unique features. It was one of the "Scotch" Arthurs built by the North British and had the Maunsell cab.

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The picture below shows the cab interior with the roof removed. Lifting the fireman's seat allows the pressure gauge and water level LEDs to be seen.

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Under the driver's seat is the blower drain.
 
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Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
Out of idle curiosity would have E772 Sir Percivale with it's Wagner smoke deflectors and either bogie or 6w tender been an option?

Or even No's 740, 745, 748, 749 or 752 with oil burning tenders?
 

Thirtysecond

Western Thunderer
Out of idle curiosity would have E772 Sir Percivale with it's Wagner smoke deflectors and either bogie or 6w tender been an option?

Or even No's 740, 745, 748, 749 or 752 with oil burning tenders?

Not sure. The 6W tender definitely not - there were no etches produced for the 6 wheeler. But smoke deflector variants would not have been difficult and the oil burners on the Urie tender would have presented no problems I'm sure.

I made nameplate brackets for S15 841 today and fitted them, so 841 as Greene King is now complete.20170629_170841_resized.jpg
 

EastKentSteamin

New Member
Remarkable stuff - really pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved. The cab in particular is just stunning, hard to believe that these are live steam working models!

If anyone has found a solution for birds shitting on the track I would like to know it, particularly if it doesnt involve shotguns as I live in a built-up area and the neighbours get funny about that sort of thing. I have already bought a cat but the seagulls are a good match for it and the inevitable fight to the death gets messy + I fear an epic vets bill one day. Would rather spend money on trains rather than the cat.
 

Simon

Flying Squad
If anyone has found a solution for birds shitting on the track I would like to know it

I just clean it off myself using the garden hose.

This is much easier for me than most I think as my track is fully ballasted and not just laid on top of roofing felt.

Maintaining a large track to these standards can be probibative in terms of time and cost and you'd never get any running done

So that'll be another advantage to my so stupid approach to Gauge One then:rolleyes:

In the meantime these locomotives are just beautiful, It would be lovely to see them pulling rolling stock that is worthy of them, track standards, roofing felt and bird poo notwithstanding.

Simon
 

Thirtysecond

Western Thunderer
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It would be lovely to see them pulling rolling stock that is worthy of them, track standards, roofing felt and bird poo notwithstanding.
Simon

Fear not Simon, yours truly, at least, has a rake of Peter Roger's 1/32 Bulleids in store waiting to run behind Sir Lamiel plus two Pullmans on order which will make a impressive Ocean Liner Express when inserted in the Bulleids.
 
Simon there is nothing stupid about your approach to gauge 1! However neither is it stupid or any less valid to be interested in running live steam engines in the garden on a track which most people are perfectly happy with. We have a beautifully ballasted and integrated track near but the owner has now drafted in help as he found the maintenance to get it ready for a meeting a real burden (completely understandably). Personally it really doesn't offend me to see one of TME stunning locos on a roofing felt track but each to there own. For me the best thing about gauge 1 over the smaller scales is the fun of having get together's at other peoples lines and enjoying the friendships that result. To that end I'm just pleased and grateful to be invited to run on some of the fantastic lines both in and out of G1MRA. One local to us is over 1000ft and I don't fancy ballasting that! Thanks Derek for keeping us up to date. Keep em coming.


Stuart
 

Thirtysecond

Western Thunderer
They are really flowing off the production line now!!! I'll keep posting but let me know if you are getting bored!!

First another BR liveried King Arthur , Sir Urre of the Mount.
30788.

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Now the real beauties of the batch, N15s in late LSWR livery Urie green with polished handrails. LSWR N15 No.737. Wish I'd ordered one of these!!

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Looking rather similar (well nigh on identical) but equally as magnificent LSWR N15 No.740;

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... and the cab interior of 737...

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and 740...

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If you are wondering what the strange shaped strip riveted to the left front of the tender is, it is the tender water gauge. Lots of little holes behind the raised piece of the strip enables the fireman to to see how many holes it is squirting out of when he operates the appropriate valve. And, before anybody asks, it is non-working on the model!

The latest batch to be outshopped:

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Peter Trinder

New Member
Utterly magnificent, and I wouldn't be surprised if these weren't the most true to scale and best looking live steam Gauge One locomotives ever produced.

But leaving aside the wheel and track standards, just look at the permanent way that locomotive is sitting on.

It bears scant relation to its prototype, it is sitting atop the usual roofing felt and is liberally christened with guano to boot.

To me the resulting visual disparity makes a complete nonsense of having a locomotive of such quality.

I guess it just reinforces the "all about the locomotive" aspect of G1 - leaves me completely cold I'm afraid.

Simon
 

Peter Trinder

New Member
Just come back from a 3 week holiday in the US and have not yet signed on again over at TME so I haven't been able to take the high res pictures as promised. However, I have got hold of some nice hi-res pictures of the third King Arthur to be delivered and seen lo-res above - TINTAGEL in the later SR livery (no number plate on back of tender). These pictures courtesy of the customer.

Just a reminder to anybody joining mid-thread, these are live steam models with scale cabs. As such they are probably unique for Gauge One.

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These photos were taken within half an hour of arriving home, the track has not been used for a year hence the bird guano!
 

Thirtysecond

Western Thunderer
Concentrated on crews today and did some fettling so they all fit on the footplates as they should. Forgot to take a picture of a footplate inspector though!

Pins on the figures (cast in Bronze) fit into holes on the loco seats or tender floors and we've designed things such that when the crew are installed major controls are still accessible. Its reasonably easy to get to the regulator with them in position, the blower control is easily accessible behind the driver and the by-pass valve is behind the fireman's seat.

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Geoff Uren

Member
Not an ASLEF strike meeting but Pete Insole's workshop where he is in the process of painting all the crews for the TME King Arthurs. Detailing, (like cap badges and coat buttons), and "weathering " (i.e. added grime where requested) still to be done.

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I've just picked up my BR and LSWR locos from Chris, and they far exceeded even my expectations. Almost works of art. I have 2 sets of crew, one in light blue, one darker blue uniformed. So that I don't mis-roster them, can anyone confirm that the darker blue uniform is BR? Thanks, Geoff Uren
 

Peter Insole

Western Thunderer
Geoff,

The light blues are BR Southern Region, while the darker are generally for Southern Railway and earlier. I was asked to do some with mixed light and dark after we found that some crews preferred, or simply managed to hang on to their older uniform jackets or dungarees!

Indeed, we have been told that original Southern "greasetop" badges were highly prized amongst enginemen right through to and beyond the end of steam, and that the BR management obviously tolerated the men wearing them instead of the "correct" little green enamelled sausages!

Pete.
 
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