Rivermead Central
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76043
Western Thunderer
I've never seen any footage, but I wouldn't say anyone who has heard of the Sherwood Section by Norman Eagles would be dismissive of clockwork power. As we know he ran to a timetable, something that alleged finescale etched brass rivet counters can't even do today at exhibition!
The layouts look great but there's no clue as to what is going on at 99% of exhibition layouts. I can't see the point of getting all that detail right in places you can't see only to run it like a toy train.
Tony
The layouts look great but there's no clue as to what is going on at 99% of exhibition layouts. I can't see the point of getting all that detail right in places you can't see only to run it like a toy train.
Tony
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I installed the Benham’s office building on the layout this afternoon. Again, as with the factory and the warehouse, a tricky job working at arm’s length. But no significant problems. Just a minor touch up required to the blue wall paint. And the building fits. Because installation is so difficult, and carries some risk of damage, I don’t do a test fit. Everything has been measured and I know the building ought to fit. Until it’s actually put in place though, a little bit of anxiety in case it isn’t right.
So here is the complete range of buildings that make up the Benham’s works:
Left to right, site maintenance (with the sloping roof), main office, warehouse (with external un/loading platform and canopy) and last the factory (with internal un/loading bay). In total, around 5’ 6” long.
Here’s the office fixed in position:
As can be seen, I painted a dark grey rectangle on the wall before I installed the office. The reason being that there will be a small gap, perhaps an inch, between the office and the next building to the south. I didn’t want the ‘sky’ going right down to ground level. So the grey rectangle represents some sort of further away building part of the silhouette of which will just be visible in the gap.
The office building is fixed in place by a single 1/2” countersunk wood screw through the bottom step. Since the building is against the wall, one screw stops it moving in any direction. The screw will pass as a drain cover if it is noticed at all.
I’m very pleased with the overall look of the Benham’s works. The jumble of roof profiles and building styles I think manages to create a city/industrial backdrop in a minimal depth.
As it happens, today is the second anniversary of me starting this thread. So nearly two years for these three buildings and five and a half feet of wall covered. I will have to speed up. In fairness to myself, much of the back wall of the layout will be covered with a representation just of a boundary wall. So much quicker to make than the Benham’s buildings. Going back to my first post in this thread, I said I was aiming to build impressionistic, not detailed, buildings finished in a muted palette of browns and greys. The purpose of the buildings being to provide a context for the vintage trains. I’m happy with the way the Benham’s works buildings have turned out — according to plan.
I would like to thank those who have shown an interest in this thread over the past two years and especially readers who have taken the trouble to post ‘likes’, ask or answer questions, or make contributions.
So here is the complete range of buildings that make up the Benham’s works:
Left to right, site maintenance (with the sloping roof), main office, warehouse (with external un/loading platform and canopy) and last the factory (with internal un/loading bay). In total, around 5’ 6” long.
Here’s the office fixed in position:
As can be seen, I painted a dark grey rectangle on the wall before I installed the office. The reason being that there will be a small gap, perhaps an inch, between the office and the next building to the south. I didn’t want the ‘sky’ going right down to ground level. So the grey rectangle represents some sort of further away building part of the silhouette of which will just be visible in the gap.
The office building is fixed in place by a single 1/2” countersunk wood screw through the bottom step. Since the building is against the wall, one screw stops it moving in any direction. The screw will pass as a drain cover if it is noticed at all.
I’m very pleased with the overall look of the Benham’s works. The jumble of roof profiles and building styles I think manages to create a city/industrial backdrop in a minimal depth.
As it happens, today is the second anniversary of me starting this thread. So nearly two years for these three buildings and five and a half feet of wall covered. I will have to speed up. In fairness to myself, much of the back wall of the layout will be covered with a representation just of a boundary wall. So much quicker to make than the Benham’s buildings. Going back to my first post in this thread, I said I was aiming to build impressionistic, not detailed, buildings finished in a muted palette of browns and greys. The purpose of the buildings being to provide a context for the vintage trains. I’m happy with the way the Benham’s works buildings have turned out — according to plan.
I would like to thank those who have shown an interest in this thread over the past two years and especially readers who have taken the trouble to post ‘likes’, ask or answer questions, or make contributions.
magmouse
Western Thunderer
As well you might be - the buildings are excellent models in their own right, with the bonus of a style that fits beautifully with the vintage train look. I have also been impressed with your approach to repairing the stock and track - sensitive, but also practical and realistic about what can be done. It's a pleasure to follow the thread, especially as this isn't something I would ever do - I get to enjoy watching you do it instead!
Nick.
Wow! Thank you very much!
Roger Pound
Western Thunderer
The late Jack Ray also ran his Crewchester layout with clockwork power for many years too, although he did eventually change to electric power. With his clockwork motors he used telephone dial mechanisms as governors with great success apparently. I regret my understanding of the finer points of controlling clockwork mechanisms is nil, but I do recall his methods being recorded in his writings.
Apropos Benhams - a brilliant piece of work!
Roger
And from what I can see they don't care that they don't know how to run it properly.
Fitting the governor from a telephone dial in place of the traditional governor is generally transformative to the performance of clockwork locomotive mechanisms. Speed is reduced, power delivery evened out over the length of run, haulage capacity increased. Also the motor runs almost silently, instead of the normal noisy rattle. I don’t know who had the idea but it originated in the 1950s and was indeed used in the Crewchester locomotives. The system is usually referred to as a ‘teleguv’. It wouldn’t be appropriate to alter a vintage locomotive, but I have two teleguv-fitted locomotives built by a friend (now sadly deceased) during the present century.