Stephenson's 'Rocket'
In one of the many parallel universes which occupy most of the dark spaces in my mind, one of those worlds has stopped revolving in 1829 when George and Robert Stephenson won the Rainhill Trials with their ground-breaking development of the ‘Rocket’.
Any future work on improving its performance seemed totally unnecessary, so all they had to do was sell the idea and rights to the rest of the world and
take early retirement!
The locomotive was eagerly taken up by many and the only changes were to make it suitable for their own individual needs, which were many and varied, but the basic engine remained easily recognisable, no matter what was added to it.
The options are as many as the parallel universes can create..
For use in restricted areas with light loads.....
Heavier work on inclines with tight curves demanded more power.....
For faster trains with limited stops, forerunner of the 'Inter-city'.....
For less wealthy countries and where materials were in short supply, a monorail system was more appropriate.....
For mountainous regions and for those with the inclination, a rack and pinion system was incorporated....
And where it was just impractical to lay tracks in the traditional manner, a locomotive which laid its own.....
History
All of these are constructed from one plastic kit in 1:26 scale. These were produced from 1986 for a short period. The moulds were sold to three different manufacturers in Korea and China and distributed by Academy/
Peter's '1Sixteen Mills' Horsebox and horse drawn carriage
My latest project developed from a desire for a railway horsebox, which I originally planned to scratch-build. By chance I discovered a laser-cut MDF kit from 'Sixteen Mills' on Anglesea. This made up into a really nice wagon.... The need for a horse drawn carriage now became necessary so it could be mounted on a flat truck and attached to the horsebox. It was unlikely that I would ever find such a kit so I searched for parts such as wheels, and found some just right. I managed to get the 'fifth wheel' and shafts assembly from a friend with a 3D printer and cut the body from plasticard. The carriage is a Brougham, popular from about 1835 to early 1900's.... Next on my list is the first-class passenger carriage to take the owners of the horse and Brougham to their destination. That kit is already on order.
Carriage and wagon together-makes it all worthwhile!