Would this be too big???

[JulienW]

Hum well that makes things seem much simpler, they are very nice looking locomotives. I will try and get them. I have found that you can get the new Dapol Prairie chassis for

[Ross Chapman]

Yes the Dapol one is of the smaller 45xx classes, they seem to have had a slightly longer wheelbase than the 4400s but I am guessing its still going to be a noticably smaller than the 61xx series. 9mm drivers would still scale out at a decent size for a 2ft 3" gauge line thought I would assume.

I can't find any 3MTs for sale second hand and I dont really want to pay full price for a new loco. I can find the bigger 4MT quite easily, I guess I could fit it with a single axle trailing truck to turn it from a 2-6-4T into a 2-6-2T.

I wonder if I could get away with building the tender version and replacing the boiler tube with a longer, fatter one to make it look like a chunkier version of the original...

The VR G class Garratt I was looking at is actually the HOn30 one, I didnt realise it was designed to take the 08 Chassis. As I have one already I could always get a new chassis for my engine bash (maybe an excuse for a Madge outside framed chassis!) and another 08 and then have a nice Garratt (not sure how big they would be to scale in 00 if the model is HO out at but I think the prototype is around 45ft long). I couldn't see an 00 version on Shapeways, I did see some of the other PBR engines though.

[invercloy]

If it was just supposition then I have a feeling it won't be DCC compatible out of the box, I don't remember seeing an update to the design to allow it.

I started building an anglicised version of a Roxey Famagusta, it's got real potential. But I'm easily distracted, so it still needs finishing..

[Ross Chapman]

LOL, I have been nosing through your thread on NGRM Online, I havent got to the Famagusta yet!

Slowly getting started on fixing my track down now so there is likely to be a few updates from me soon!

[invercloy]

Ah, that's in my workbench thread (titled 'Waterloo Works'), sorry, lots of reading :)

Look forward to hearing of how you get on.

[Ross Chapman]

Ahhh I will have a look at that one when i get home then.

I think I found my railway's name as well - I may be "borrowing" the Grand Central's logo and name, just trying to work out if the older one with the name printed inside the circle or the newer one would be better!

http://www.precisionlabels.com/d24.html?

[JulienW]

Yes the Dapol one is of the smaller 45xx classes, they seem to have had a slightly longer wheelbase than the 4400s but I am guessing its still going to be a noticably smaller than the 61xx series. 9mm drivers would still scale out at a decent size for a 2ft 3" gauge line thought I would assume.

I can't find any 3MTs for sale second hand and I dont really want to pay full price for a new loco. I can find the bigger 4MT quite easily, I guess I could fit it with a single axle trailing truck to turn it from a 2-6-4T into a 2-6-2T.

I wonder if I could get away with building the tender version and replacing the boiler tube with a longer, fatter one to make it look like a chunkier version of the original...

The VR G class Garratt I was looking at is actually the HOn30 one, I didnt realise it was designed to take the 08 Chassis. As I have one already I could always get a new chassis for my engine bash (maybe an excuse for a Madge outside framed chassis!) and another 08 and then have a nice Garratt (not sure how big they would be to scale in 00 if the model is HO out at but I think the prototype is around 45ft long). I couldn't see an 00 version on Shapeways, I did see some of the other PBR engines though.

Actually the 4MT might not be a bad idea...

And just to avoid any confusion I think the G42 uses the new Farish 08 chassis with the outside frames, and the 4 mm scale stuff is here

[Ross Chapman]

Yeah, I may end up using the 4MT and modifying it to fit that.

I will have to email the designer for the G42 and find out which type of chassis it uses.

It's looking like I might be relocating my area of operations though but even so I think I will still go for the stockier engine types simply to cope with the "demands of the route".

[JulienW]

Stick the the Caribbean if you can as I don't think anyone has done that before.

Don't forget that most of the loco builders would have 'stock' designs which they would build (with varying degrees of modification) for customers, and that some of these 'standard' types would be based on earlier 'bespoke' designs. Examples of this are the  Kitson 4-8-4 tanks, first supplied to the Barsi Light Railway in India but later (albeit slightly modified) to Cyprus, the earlier Sierra Leone 2-6-2+2-6-2 garratt design of which 2 were supplied to Nepal, there was a Barclay 0-6-2 supplied to South America that bares a remarkable resemblance to Argyll and Atlantic supplied to the Cambeltown & Macrihanish and a clone of the 0-6-2T "Chevallier" (Chattenden & Upnor, later Bowaters and now Whipsnade - I think!) complete with porthole cabside that Manning Wardle supplied to South America. There are many other examples, so I can't see any reason why Naysmiths could not have supplied something that looked much like their Cyprus locos to your Carribean idyl, and if you wanted some justification then if the Crown Agents were involved (a body responsible for supplying the building blocks of Empire, like complete railway systems!) then they would likely chose a proven design (like one 'tested' on Cyprus, or elsewhere) or something based on that design than something brand new.

[Ross Chapman]

Thanks for the words of advice Julien, I think I need someone to say "stop being silly and just get on with it!" as I am fairly (well, VERY) indecisive so I tend to change my mind a fair bit.

I think that might be the easiest way for me to look at the locomotive(s) for my line, I want to at least try and get a family resemblence between them. Your suggestion as to the reasons why makes a lot of sense to me and I may "borrow" the idea from you!

I'd really like a garratt like the PBR's G42, I can't think of a good excuse for one on an island in the Caribbean however!

Just seems to be quite difficult to find any information on the older rail lines serving any industries in the Central / Southern Americans and carribean areas though, I can find info on stuff after WW2 easily enough, but pre-WW1 is much, much harder!

[Alan Feldon]

Railways of the caribbean by David Rollison
ISBN 0-333-73042-9
published by Macmillan

[JulienW]

"Stop being silly and get on with it" ;D well, you did ask!

Have a look at Camden Minitures Steam Services website at their book section - specifically European & World railways. The Trackside Publication's books (various authors) on the various Andean railways.

The problem with finding pre-1918 info is that people from Europe were not there to record it, let alone take photographs, whereas post 1945 air travel and photographic equipment became relatively cheep.

[Ross Chapman]

Thanks for that both of you, I'm ashamed I didn't find those myself!

I have done some work on getting my boards ready today ss tracklaying should be able to commence over the weekend, then I can make a start on getting my loco fleet up and running. It's looking like a good proportion of them will actually be based on the GF 08 chassis at the moment so I think most of my fleet will end up as six-coupled locomotives.

[Ross Chapman]

I think I found a good prototype I might use (not loco wise though, I think the Luttermoller type wheel arrangement would be a bit hard to duplicate!) and I really like the street running around 1:10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wNRNA7xKdc

Move it from Java to the Carribean and add some "general" freight traffic and its more or less exactly what I want to try and replicate.

[Ross Chapman]

Work under way on my loco fleet at the moment - Neil Sayer "La Meuse" on order to be turned into a slightly larger 0-6-2T engine and my Smokey Joe bash has grown a bit...

Poking about looking into the Cyprus Government Railway, I also found the Cyprus Mining Company and this awesome looking thing;

http://www.narrow-gauge.co.uk/gallery/images/438/1465.jpeg

How difficult a bash do people thing something like that big beasty would be? I'm guessing an American USRA 2-8-2 chassis or similar would do for the basic power?