Hi from New Zealand

[PaulRhB]

Hello Annie
This lot are mad, you've been warned
Considering Annie's output on NGRM I think you'll have plenty to enjoy coming up folks

 

[mike]

Welcome to the mad house..

 

[Kotanga Girl]

Hi Paul, - nice to see you here too Madness is fine by me as I've found over the course of my life that it's the sane folk you have to watch out for.
Whimsey in my large scale trains is something I like and as an example here is an idea I've been kicking around for a while now and want to have a go at very soon.



And yes my name is Annie and I don't mind at all if you call me that.

 

[dunnyrail]

Hi Paul, - nice to see you here too Madness is fine by me as I've found over the course of my life that it's the sane folk you have to watch out for.
Whimsey in my large scale trains is something I like and as an example here is an idea I've been kicking around for a while now and want to have a go at very soon.



And yes my name is Annie and I don't mind at all if you call me that.

Will that be an amalgum of Postman Pat Locomotives to make a nearly a Fairlie? Though with the Boilers not connected I think a Duplex might be more appropriate. Or you could give it any name you like, an Annie sounds good!
JonD

 

[Gavin Sowry]

Damned awkward critter to photograph.

 

[Kotanga Girl]

Yes Jon it's a proposed mod of two Postman Pat 'Greendale Rocket' locos of which I have several I've picked up here and there. The jury is still out on whether or not the boilers will be connected as that will involve a fair bit of modification in the cab area. So whether it will be a Fairlie or a Duplex will depend greatly on how adventurous I'm feeling when I get my razor saw out.

Good old 'Josephine' thanks for the photo Gavin That's a loco I've always wanted to build a model of. The 'Greendale Rocket' hack is pure whimsey though and is intended for my Somewhere District Railways layout that I've just started to build. 'Somewhere' is still going through all manner of alternative spellings at the moment with 'Sum Weir' being in the lead at present.

 

[GAP]

For our members with a limited understanding of the Kiwi vernacular, an explanation of the word Kotanga.
Kotanga, pronounced coathanger, is an alternative ethnic name for a car aerial. The coathanger, of course, has to be one of the wire kind. Once very popular is areas prone to high rates of motor vehicle vandalism. Very good at receiving AM signals, but since the proliferation of FM radio stations, the Kotanga has waned in popularity.

A similar item exists across next door the ditch but is pronounced the Coatanger ariel and can actually be bent into the shape of the Aust mainland sans Tas.
For FM you just shorten it.
With the proliferation of the moulded antenna (i.e. European style, BMW etc) the icon is disappearing fast, just another piece of historical art that will fade into obscurity, like the Hill Hoist which is destined to become extinct according to the news today.
Also the Coatanger make good source material for truss rods on US wagons.

 

[Kotanga Girl]

'Kotanga' is also the name of the small fictional district which was served by the Kotanga Tramway which was the subject of an earlier layout of mine. The Kotanga Tramway has a strong possibility of being revived at a future date.

 

[spoz]

I like that! One should never take oneself seriously - I do hope you do resurrect it.

Oh and welcome from Adelaide!

 

[Kotanga Girl]

Thanks

Yes i do have plans to do something about reviving the Kotanga Tramway. Most probably a bit later in the year.

 

[trammayo]

Welcome from this western extremity of Europe!

 

[playmofire]

Growing old might be compulsory, but growing up isn't.

Remember, you're only as old as your shoe size (well, in terms of UK shoe sizes). And maybe the ladies can be twice as old as their UK shoe size.

And a warm welcome.

 

[PhilP]

Remember, you're only as old as your shoe size (well, in terms of UK shoe sizes). And maybe the ladies can be twice as old as their UK shoe size.

That makes me 10½ H.. So I can put some weight on!

 

[korm kormsen]

welcome from another model-trains-desert.

and, never, as in never ever, admit, to use cheap materials!
those northerners simply don't understand it.

 

[stockers]

Love the wheel chock Korm.

 

[korm kormsen]

well, it was right in sight, when i needed something to hinder that car from running away...
(these cheapies can be very shy around cameras)

 

[playmofire]

Thank you for the explanation of Kotanga. With you avatar and your place of residence, I was unsure whether it was a Japanese or a New Zealand Maori based name, but I didn't expect its origins to be what they were!

 

[Kotanga Girl]

Thank you so much for the warm welcomes everyone

Yes 'Kotanga' is a wonderfully fun name that sounds like it could actually be a proper Maori place name, but isn't. I have been tempted in the past to have a woodworking factory that makes wooden coathangers on my Kotanga layouts, but I guess that could be labouring the joke a little too much.


Koma, I love your battery operated trainset wagons and loco. And the rolling stock has those wonderful narrow gauge tramway bogies that are so hard to find on battery trainsets here in NZ There's nothing wrong with cheap and I've had a lot of fun with those large scale plastic trainsets. My health isn't good so I don't leave the house much these days, but I can well remember going on garden railway visits when I was still involved with belonging to a club and taking my 'New Bright' trains along with me. People would smile and shake their heads, but when it rained and everyone would be running around rescuing their expensive electronic locos my New Bright stuff just kept on running what ever the weather.
Some of my NB locos had an air pump whistle mech which was quite loud and sounded really good too.

I have one of these which I think is the nicest of the New Bright locos. I have the 'Pioneer' version with gaudy brightwork too, but I don't like that one so much.

 

[lgbmad]

Maturity is overrated.
I hope I never grow up!

here, here.....well said that man
Kev

 

[Gavin Sowry]

Swamp Hen...... in Maori, that would be Pukeko.

Now, the Pukeko is a hardy breed of poultry. Here's the recipie an old fellow gave me.

First, catch your hen. (Somehow, I don't think that line was entirely original).

Pluck it, gut it, and chuck it in a pot with an axe head. Bring to the boil.
Keep boiling until the axe head is soft.
Then, chuck away the Pukeko, and eat the axe head.