It appears that in an attempt to overcome erratic running over points and crossings, Hoy of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway experimented with the Druitt Halpin thermal storage device, the steam equivalent of a capacitor…
Author Archives: Simon
A different perspective
In responding to a comment on Mike Cougill’s latest thought-inspiring post, I made reference to one of my own. (I also found some typos!) Re-reading what I wrote, an extra “contrary wise” thought came to me, and it’s worth highlighting here (in bold) as the downside to accepting ready-made objects straight from the box, warts and all:
As René pointed out, “Marty is right: don’t sweat the details, unless that’s your thing, in which case, don’t expect anyone else to notice.”
I would add that if you don’t sweat the details, hope nobody else will notice!
Nothing new under the sun…
A lot of people seem to lay claim to the “less is more” concept: I see it frequently posted on the web along the lines of, “John Smith explains his ‘less is more’ concept” or even “I explain my ‘less is more’ concept”.
Anyway, I came across this wonderful quote from Seneca the Younger (5BCE-65CE):
It is quality rather than quantity that matters.
Sense of Place
I have written before about “love of subject”, and indeed mention it in the “about” sidebar entitled “Finescale With Feeling”. I think it provides a “grounding” for the modeller, and this shows in the results. That said, I wish I had done as good a job as Ken Karlewicz has in his YouTube video:
Our hobby needs more like this.
Thanks due to Trevor Marshall for introducing this to me.
Addendum: this layout is featured in the 2019 issue of Model Railroad Planning.
S Scale History Revised!
We like to think that S scale, or what became S scale, was first conceived of in 1896 by Edward Bowness, with his model completed in 1898.
This appears not to be the case, as the following from Locomotive Engineering, Dec. 1893, Vol. 6, No. 12, clearly demonstrates – and look at the fine (scale) flanges! No toy trains here, and live steam to boot.
The accompanying text states:
The Very Smallest Locomotive
We have several times within the last few years given illustrations of extremely small locomotives that were complete in all parts, but that shown in the annexed engraving is the very smallest working locomotive that we have heard about. It was built by a jeweler, and is the property of Mr. W. E. Gallant, Chicago. This elaborate toy is built to run on a track 7/8 inch wide and has a total length of 9 ½ inches with tender included. The cylinders are ½ x 3/8, the driving wheels are 15/16-inch diameter. The boiler is ¾ x 3 inches. The total weight of engine and tender is 9 ½ ounces. Gold, brass, steel, and nickel are the materials of which the engine is made and the pilot is of wood. It is a real working model and spins along in good shape with its own steam, a spirit lamp providing the required heat.
I wonder what happened to this – it is now at least 125 years old?
The Erratic and Wandering Journey 
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