Loch Nevis & Ranochan modular West Highland

[young37215]

On 17/01/2023 at 13:07, PaulRhB said:

Ah so some dodgy dates on a Flickr as a couple are dated 79 with it still there!

 

I always understood the Mallaig canopy was removed in 1977. The picture below purports to be 1978 which seems reasonable as the canopy has gone and the single story extension has not yet been added.

 

.

[PaulRhB]

We’ll just file this under oops ;) It lasted until April 86 so it fits the timeframe, got the Eastfield Scottie and it’s not on the list of those repainted to grey. Any other allocation issues were obviously temporary ;) 

 

[PaulRhB]

You should always take your time to cogitate the plans for a layout, so I got some appropriate ones ;)

https://pixelshack.co.uk/collections/rail-beer-stein
 

[mallaig1983]

29 minutes ago, PaulRhB said:

You should always take your time to cogitate the plans for a layout, so I got some appropriate ones ;)

https://pixelshack.co.uk/collections/rail-beer-stein
 

Just hope you have something suitable to put in them to aid the cogitation.

 

Thanks for the link 👍

[PaulRhB]

33 minutes ago, mallaig1983 said:

Just hope you have something suitable to put in them to aid the cogitation.

 

I do but in a run of 7 early turns so strictly non alcoholic top ups until the end of next week 😉

[PaulRhB]

A bit of quick weathering on three recent pristine acquisitions, not up to James M’s attention to detail but it’s a decent base to work with later and stops them looking shiny for now. 
Just thin washes of brown and grey. 
 

 

 

The two BDA’s will get a load of girders or rails so they can trundle round on engineering duty or something for the Naval base. 
 

 

Edited January 21, 2023 by PaulRhB

[PaulRhB]

Yesterday afternoon’s work. Light weathering on the warflat, as they were always kept pretty clean, and Matt varnish on the Land Rovers and Transit. The transit also got its wheels turned as it just looks more natural in pics. 
 

 

Just need to touch up the door rubbers on the van and add strapping to the 4x4’s

 

 

 

Edited January 22, 2023 by PaulRhB

[PaulRhB]

Well another little find which although a poor picture hopefully means a few more are lurking in the boxes I’ve found. I reckon this was 85 or 86. 
 

 

Now I reckon that’s a brake coach but I can’t tell which 37 it is apart from likely a 37/4 😆

Edited January 22, 2023 by PaulRhB

[BoD]

M35310 was a BSK

[PaulRhB]

9 minutes ago, BoD said:

M35310 was a BSK

Ta, I might have to renumber one of mine to that then. 

[BoD]

5 minutes ago, PaulRhB said:

Ta, I might have to renumber one of mine to that then. 

It was a pure coincidence that I had just been checking something else in Longworth’s Mk1 & Mk2 coaching stock book when I read your post.  Now if I could identify the 37 then that would be impressive …

[PaulRhB]

I removed Welsh lettering from the Sherpa and I’ve found a nice smaller RM van in the Trackside range so I can model the Mail being delivered with the van parked up on the platform. 
 

 

Searching for police liveries seems to suggest this as pretty close for the mid 80’s in what’s available. 

Edited January 23, 2023 by PaulRhB

[PaulRhB]

Rusting to ashes . . .

 

[meanach]

On 22/01/2023 at 14:41, PaulRhB said:

Well another little find which although a poor picture hopefully means a few more are lurking in the boxes I’ve found. I reckon this was 85 or 86. 
 

 

Now I reckon that’s a brake coach but I can’t tell which 37 it is apart from likely a 37/4 😆

Western region lamp irons on an ED tractor means it’s either 403, 405, 411 or maybe 412 but that only had one side with western region lamp irons. Going by the filth factor I’d say it’s likely 1986! 

[PaulRhB]

18 minutes ago, meanach said:

Western region lamp irons on an ED tractor means it’s either 403, 405, 411 or maybe 412 but that only had one side with western region lamp irons.

 

Getting it down to four is impressive enough 😄

 

18 minutes ago, meanach said:

 

Going by the filth factor I’d say it’s likely 1986! 

Highly likely, all I remember is it was a spirited trip and what introduced me to the fun factor of 37’s. 
 

Who’d have thought nearly twenty years later they’d pay me to sit in the second man’s seat, although the scenery wasn’t quite as impressive! 37 057 is a bit of a monster!

 

 

Edited January 23, 2023 by PaulRhB

[PaulRhB]

Mind you they still seem to be calling me to the Highlands, 025 trundles past the office door with a pleasing frequency. 

 

 

[simonmcp]

1 hour ago, PaulRhB said:

Rusting to ashes . . .

 

I see you've "Fired up the quattro", will you have your very own Keeley Hawes?

[PaulRhB]

4 minutes ago, simonmcp said:

I see you've "Fired up the quattro", will you have your very own Keeley Hawes?

When I find a suitable figure for them enjoying the scenery 😆

[P.C.M]

Hi Paul, Just been catching up on your thread. 

As far as I can remember class 27s were only ever in blue so your 27030 will be fine. I actually have a pic on my Flickr site of the loco at Motherwell depot in 1987 though withdrawn at this time.

 

Cheers Peter.

[PaulRhB]

1 hour ago, P.C.M said:

Hi Paul, Just been catching up on your thread. 

As far as I can remember class 27s were only ever in blue so your 27030 will be fine. I actually have a pic on my Flickr site of the loco at Motherwell depot in 1987 though withdrawn at this time.

 

Cheers Peter.

Cheers Peter, That’s an error as it was the 26’s that were painted RF 😆 I have a 26044 too and was checking that for dates although they were much rarer visitors. 

[PaulRhB]

Loch Nevis base may have to wait awhile until this wagon gets delivered!

 

Chocks for the wheels to do. 

[03060]

10 hours ago, PaulRhB said:

Cheers Peter, That’s an error as it was the 26’s that were painted RF 😆 I have a 26044 too and was checking that for dates although they were much rarer visitors. 

 

Hello Paul, I'm afraid that I've never (yet) come across a photo of a R/freight grey liveried Class 26 on the WHL which is a shame as I also really like this livery / loco combination and I'm sure that I'll invoke Rule 1 at some point to accomodate one.

 

26 025 + 026 did make it in Dutch livery with the 6LDA Special, and 26 001 + 007 made it to Oban in retro Green livery, again with a railtour.

 

The only Railfreight Grey locos that I know of on the WHL are 20 138, 20 227 and 37 669, all with the Red Stripe version of this livery but I'm still finding new photos on Flickr which show up odd or one off workings, so you never know.

 

Regards,

Ian.

[meanach]

I came across a photo of a 26 parked at Crianlarich in late 88. I asked a Fortwilliam driver I know and he was baffled as to how it could have got there. His theory was it must have been in consist at the rear of an engineering train and used to shunt. Obviously 26s weren’t RETB fitted. It was a B.R blue one though if memory serves me correctly.

[sulzer71]

On 16/01/2023 at 18:58, PaulRhB said:

Ok the laser cut modular ends should be here in a couple of weeks so hopefully construction can actually start. 
 

I’ve started a timeline to try and narrow things down a bit to try and get most things right. 
 

Timeline West Highland

1980  Corpach Mill closed 

 

1982      37/0/1 & 2

 

1982 Railfreight red stripe introduced 

 

1985/6  37/4’s 

 

1987  Class 27’s withdrawn

 

1987 RETB Mallaig - Ft William 7 Dec

 

1988. RETB Helensburgh Upper - Crianlarich - Oban 27 March 

 

1988, RETB Crianlarich - Fort William Junction on 28 May 1988. 

 

1988  PCA tanks triangular Alcan logo

 

1989  ICA silver bullets built. 

 

So from that I think 85/86 is about right and exactly when I visited. Unfortunately apart from two loco shots with no other interesting detail I don’t have much personal reference for colour details from that trip. 
 The questions this raised are when the different colour styles came in for the stations?

 

I think I have it right from pics that it was 

Blue running in boards with white writing, cream with blue trim on the Signalboxes and galvanised silver lamp posts in the 70’s but then I see the running in boards changed to green while the box and lamps stayed the same. Then the third combination is the green and cream paint on the boxes and two tone green lamp posts. Does anyone know the dates for the changes?

 

Thanks to the excellent thread on the formations I’m slowly getting the coaching stock right and using photos for freight. 

 

Hi

 

Looking through this list I don't believe Railfreight Red Stripe started in 82 , was more like 85/86 as far as I recall

 

Dave 

[03060]

On 24/01/2023 at 23:54, meanach said:

I came across a photo of a 26 parked at Crianlarich in late 88. I asked a Fortwilliam driver I know and he was baffled as to how it could have got there. His theory was it must have been in consist at the rear of an engineering train and used to shunt. Obviously 26s weren’t RETB fitted. It was a B.R blue one though if memory serves me correctly.

 

Possibly of interest Class 26s that I have seen photos of on the WHL either in books or on Flickr type photo sites are :

 

BR Green D5313.

BR Blue 26 012, 025, 026, 027, 029 (10/1/82 paired with a 37 on B/grey Pullman set), 034 (1978), 036 (1985 Skirl of the Pipes 6), 042 .... and possibly 26 014 (but for some forgotten reason I've put a question mark next to this one.)

Dutch Eng Grey 26 025 & 026.

BR Retro Green D5301 (26 001) & D5300 (26 007.)

 

At least 2 have gotten as far as Mallaig ! 26 034 in '78 and 26 029 In '82.

 

A slight cautionary note though, there is also a very nice photo on (I think) the main Flickr West Highland Line album of a Class 26 at the head of a freight train at Crianlarich Upper but I personally think that this is a very well done model that has been photoshopped in .... at first glance it looks very convincing, I'll try and find the link later for you to make up your own minds.

 

Hope this is of interest to you, apologies if not.

Best wishes,

Ian.

 

(Statement about photoshopped picture later proved to be unfounded !)

Edited January 26, 2023 by 03060
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