O9 joins Blackcloud's Railways

[Blackcloud Railways]

Back on topic, I did a hack job (literally, with a saw, as well as figuratively, with the least attention to detail) on a Take-N-Play Thomas die cast model of Luke yesterday.







The result could pass for an 18 inch gauge version of a Kerr Stuart Wren... From a distance, in the dark, maybe... But I quite like it anyway.

My usual weathering, ie rusting, treatment will take the shine off it once the repainted areas have had time for the dry properly.

[Tomo]

Looks good to me, d'ya need to add much weight to the loco?

[Blackcloud Railways]

The boiler and tank assembly is die cast, the rest of it plastic... Including the wagon chassis it runs on. This is one of a series of unpowered locos for use with my motorised wagons.

The subterfuge works better than you may think, at Mickleover on Saturday I was running the little tractor in front of the loaded coal wagon (seen in the pics of the 3D printed steam loco) and the empty Dinky wagon. A few of the visitors realised that the tractor was unpowered but were very surprised when I removed the coal wagon from the train because they were convinced that was where the motor was hidden... But they were wrong.

[Blackcloud Railways]

My usual weathering, ie rusting, treatment will take the shine off it once the repainted areas have had time for the dry properly.

Like that.

The Kerr Stuart has been given a test run, along with the other small steamers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh1eGo0rQMM

[Blackcloud Railways]

There is a discussion currently on the NGRM forum regarding creating an O9 modular layout. Various aspects have been raised including possible use of the Connected Railway Modellers link system between modules (as used on the Ferrocarril Internacional in On30).

For Gnatterboxers who are not NGRM members there's a brief description on my blog of an experiment today using N gauge track on a CRM link to see how it compared to the 16.5mm gauge version.



http://blackcloudrail.webs.com/apps/blog/show/23547022-o9-modular-layout-the-first-steps-

I know there's an overlap of membership between the forums but if any Gnatterboxers would be interested in joining this modular project they can follow the development either on the blog or via this thread. which I'll update as there are any further developments.

[Blackcloud Railways]

Following the experiments with 9mm gauge track on the CRM style modular system I've started work on an O9 modular layout... OK, not quite true. I've started work on a single O9 module, but that's how the Ferrocarril Internacional started!

The baseboard from my abandoned Asilo Sur On30 module has had the track removed and then been cut lengthways so that it is 12 inches wide and 28 inches long. Being narrower makes it look longer and will also make it easier to store and transport.



I then tried some buildings on it to work out the best arrangement in the available space.



1 - Large goods shed (view block to the left). The siding can be used to hold spare wagons.
2 - Station building, actually OO scale but I reckon changing the door will make it suitable for O scale.
3 and 4 - Lineside huts.
5 - Station platform.
6 - Lane and level crossing.
7 - Standard gauge line on an overbridge (view block to the right).



The loading gauge will be suitable for my largest stock, so just about anything that's thrown at it will clear. The platform is to be at ground or rail level so the width of stock doesn't matter. The goods shed doors may be a bit smaller, but they are not on the running line, and the bridge will be built as if originally for a wider gauge railway, Ravenglass style. Minimum radius doesn't apply, the running line is straight. The track bed (base of sleepers) is four inches above table level and I've used Peco code 80 track for the running line on the module and link section, this is ordinary N gauge track but the sleepers will be hidden in my usual narrow gauge style by weeds, mud or ballast.

I'll be blogging further progress as it happens and will update the forum reports (here, NGRM and MTI) when there are major advances worth reporting.
http://blackcloudrail.webs.com/apps/blog/categories/show/1609051-o9-modules

This is not a forum specific project, if anyone else wants to build a matching module they are welcome to join in, regardless of which forum they prefer to frequent!

[Blackcloud Railways]

I've dropped the idea of using a bridge as the scenic break and replaced this with a water tower, which fits into the scene much better. The track has been ballasted and a start made on ground cover, so I'm now waiting for glue to dry.

In the meantime here's a quite nice old snapshot I've found of the station, taken in 1963 according to the inscription on the back of the print.


More on details my blog.

[Blackcloud Railways]

Slimming club...

No, not for me! Built for comfort, not speed, and too old to start bothering about my figure.

The slimming here is from O16.5/On30 to O9/On18 and the patient is a short Chivers waycar.

This was one of the early coaches used on the Pampas and Fernandez, then later on the Ferrocarril Internacional, but replaced by the larger Bachmann stock. I've converted it by removing everything below the floor, bogies and mountings, then replacing them with an N gauge wagon chassis. A Kato tank car is a good match for the length. At the same time I've replaced the plastic handrails with wire.

[Colin Peake]

That's a big coach for O9 Bob! But if you are modelling an 18" "prototype" it just works as a mini Sand Hutton-esque coach.

Colin

[Blackcloud Railways]

Sand Hutton had a generous loading gauge, but these beasts were even bigger... And still only 18 inch gauge.

[rue_d_etropal]

The loco drawings are in current Voie Libre(you can see them on English online version), see my thread here
http://forum.gn15.info/viewtopic.php?t=9026&highlight=

[MickT]

Sand Hutton had a generous loading gauge, but these beasts were even bigger... And still only 18 inch gauge.

Now that would make a very interesting comparison in 09 (or Gn15) with a same scale Cagney!

Mick

[Blackcloud Railways]

Kids in bed. Kitchen free. Time to scrape out the flangeways, clean the rails and have a test run on the module. The loco is a battery trammer kit by Unit Models, adapted to fit a Kato tram chassis.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqUW6r8ZQK4

[Blackcloud Railways]

Hello. It's been a while! TBPH I'd all but forgotten about this place but it has been mentioned in dispatches on NGRM so I thought I'd have a wander over. Not a lot to see in my threads since the great Photobucket debacle so here's an update on the current O9 layouts.

Farrall Sidings has been virtually disused since its epic outing (by train and tube) to the deep south but it is still intact.


Allt-Na-Ballt is now basically an ornament on the sideboard but gets a train run on it every once in a while,


The Puggy Line is used more as a photo plank but trains can still run.


Muston Sands did not fare quite so well, it was regauged from O9 to On30, then the buildings were replaced and it's now an HO SG layout. But, the Seaside Line lives on at the next station south, Primrose Valley, where this video was shot recently.


As you might have guessed from the layouts' statuses I don't do much minimum gauge modelling these days and most of my hobby time is spent with On30. I have recently acquired a new loco for use on the O9 layouts though, and they're much nicer to play with in winter when the big layout in the garage is freezing cold.