RMweb Gold Tony Wright Posted February 1, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 1, 2023 2 hours ago, thegreenhowards said: Intermittent short circuits is another common problem in my experience . Good point Andy, They're usually caused (in my experience) by dodgy pick-ups and/or insufficient clearances between bogie/pony wheels and the frames; also wheels touching tender frames. Regards, Tony. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium thegreenhowards Posted February 1, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 1, 2023 Just now, Tony Wright said: Good point Andy, They're usually caused (in my experience) by dodgy pick-ups and/or insufficient clearances between bogie/pony wheels and the frames; also wheels touching tender frames. Regards, Tony. I agree, particularly with outside cylinders. Also brake gear touching wheels on a live chassis. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuffer Davies Posted February 1, 2023 Share Posted February 1, 2023 19 hours ago, jrg1 said: Very impressed with the model. Can you describe how you clean it ultrasonically, and what you use for the bath, please? Rather than fill up WW with the ins and outs of Ultrasonic cleaning I have documented my approach on my Chuffer's Workbench topic and for anyone who is interested please use the following link to jump to the item. Frank 2 3 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post Tony Wright Posted February 1, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted February 1, 2023 Just now, thegreenhowards said: I agree, particularly with outside cylinders. Also brake gear touching wheels on a live chassis. How long do you want the list to be Andy? Seriously, what I've found with many duff runners is that at no point during the construction was 'due process' followed. I'll explain......... 1. The frames must be assembled dead square and true using a jig. The bearings should be inserted at this stage, with any inner axle bearings being soldered in place the tiniest bit higher than the outer ones (I'm speaking of rigid frames here). The trick is to broach out the inner bearing holes just a bit more than a snug fit, meaning one can raise the top hats slightly higher up than the rest when soldering in place. Tap any holes in spacers to take the shouldered screws for retaining bogies/ponies. If it's a flat spacer, solder an 8BA nut to its top and tap that to remove excess solder. Cut off any excess bearing material from the inside of the top-hats on the driven bearings, filing them flush with the inside of the frames - for OO; for EM, often just a small amount needs removing. 2. The drivers should be fitted to their axles (Markits in my case) and fitted to the frames, but only after I've passed a one eight taper reamer through all the bearings. If the frames are true, then all the outer wheels should sit fair and square on a piece of mirror glass. If not (and this heresy to a real engineer!), twist the frames ever so slightly until all is true. 3. Take the drivers off again, then solder the brake cross rods in place. Check that the drivers' flanges don't catch on those rods. Crankpins should be fixed at this stage and held in place with Loctite. 4. Fix the pick-up pads securely in place with epoxy. 5. Assemble the motor/gearbox (or use a ready-made type) so that everything is absolutely sweet. Prior to fitting the motor, check that it runs perfectly; it's incredibly frustrating when trying to find a tight spot, to learn that the motor itself is the cause! Place the driven axle through the gearbox bushes and tighten up the gearwheel's grubscrew (Markits now produce a slotted axle). Check that the driven wheels rotate freely, then check again with the whole assembly in its place in the frames (this requires drivers being put on to and taken off their axles several times - a poor idea with friction-fit wheels. Indeed, I know of some P4 modellers who'll set up their frames with Markits wheels and axles, before finally fitting the drivers of their choice). Oil nothing at this stage. 6. Paint any areas of the frames behind the drivers (I use a sable and and enamels), allow to dry, then re-fit all the drivers for (hopefully) the last time, taking out any excessive sideplay with spacing washers. 7. Fit the pick-ups (.45mm nickel silver wire in my case) and take the wires to the motor brushes. For a live chassis, one side can both act as a return and also a stay to prevent the motor clattering around inside the body under load. 8. Test that all the pick-ups are working. If they are, and the drive is on an inner axle (the centre one on a six-coupled), then that pair of drivers should rotate freely on level track (their being a fag-paper thickness higher that the rest). If the drive is on the rear axle, then the chassis should shuffle along. Oil the axles in their bearings at this stage. 9. If coupling rods are laminated, hold them in place with cocktail sticks while soldering. If they're articulated, I solder them solid. Broach out any bearing holes to give a snug fit on the crankpins. Hold the rods in place with plastic sleeving, and test the running chassis. With luck, it shouldn't bind. If there is binding (it'll be at 3 o'clock or 9 o'clock one one or both sides), broach the appropriate holes until there's no binding. Just letting a chassis, plus rods, roll down an inclined plain is not a good enough test; it must be driven. When all is sweet, solder on the crankpin retaining washers, using a piece of instruction paper as a spacer and a barrier to solder, tearing it away once the job is done. Take off any excess crankpin with cutters and file, remembering to leave those with valve gear attached full-length. Oil at this stage, and run-in the chassis on a rolling road. I'm not a fan of Markits De-Luxe crankpins. 10. Fix any brakes at this stage - brake rodding fitted at an early stages prevents pick-up adjustment. 11. Only make any cylinders/valve gear/motion after the body is completed, though bogies/ponies can be made/fitted at an early stage. The making of outside valve gear would take at least another ten steps to describe; so, for another day? I'm bound to have forgotten something, but the above are my usual steps. Those who make compensated/sprung chassis, or use the 'American' system of pick-ups may happily disregard anything I've noted. Regards, Tony. 11 1 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Michael Edge Posted February 1, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 1, 2023 4 hours ago, uax6 said: Axle now cut through and removed, not having much luck in shifting the grub screw, looks like it might actually be glued in... grrr. Any thoughts on the Markits crank bushes? Ta Andy G Heat it up, that should shift any glue 2 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony Teague Posted February 2, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 2, 2023 (edited) 17 hours ago, Tony Wright said: I think the damage is cause when lead shot is fixed inside a boiler with PVA; chemists will no doubt know of the chemical reaction to cause this. Luckily, I was told of this phenomenon before I tried the method, though I have seen the (heart-breaking) destruction it can cause. This is what it looks like - boiler barrel split along bottom seam: Only discovered as the barrel detatched itself from the smokebox: I managed to remove the PVA / lead shot mixture by leaving the loco body in water for about 3 days during which the PVA all dissolved; the loco was then repaired by the original builder who had not known at the time of building (over 20 years ago) that this was a lethal mixture! Tony Edited February 2, 2023 by Tony Teague 2 5 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium t-b-g Posted February 2, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 2, 2023 (edited) On 23/01/2023 at 16:08, Tony Wright said: Thanks Tony, And, the moral is? Never believe anything written on a print! Assuming it is Bawtry, then you're right. I didn't question the direction too much because it's unusual to have a fully-illuminated smokebox on a loco working a northbound train on the ECML (other than alongside the Firth of Forth). To prove the moral................. From the same collection, this image is said to be taken at South Muskham........... When clearly it's an Up express just north of Retford; interestingly, an express made up of ex-LMS stock. The shot below purports to be at Bawtry (by suggestion, Scrooby troughs?)......... When it shows a Down express at Muskham (you can see Newark Dyke Bridge in the distance). And, finally............ Taken from the bridge you mention, showing 60002 on an Up express in 1960. The loco is in typical 52A condition, but, more interestingly, the second and third cars are ex-Tourist twins. Please (all) observe copyright restrictions. What this proves (at least to me) is how difficult it is on occasions for caption-writers commenting on scenes from at least 60 years ago. Six decades plus ago, when the photographers are long-dead and only their images and notes survive. I did spot at Bawtry at this time, but only on the station (just prior to its closure). Regards, Tony. Following on from the earlier discussion, I had a walk up to the bridge this morning and took the attached from a similar viewpoint. Apart from the concrete bridge alterations, the high security metal fencing replacing the wooden railings, the overhead electrics, the overgrown embankments, the lack of telegraph poles, the addition of a trailing crossover (out of sight under the train in this shot) and the replacement of one of Gresley's finest and loco hauled stock with the new EMU, it has hardly changed. The EMU is certainly heading northwards and will shortly swoosh over Rossington level crossing. I have been looking at a lot of GNR prototypes recently for various reasons and I found myself longing, not for an A4 or a Deltic, but for an Ivatt Atlantic on a rake of 12 wheeled clerestories, possibly one of the best looking loco/train combinations ever. The Atlantics hauled the main ECML services for longer than the Gresley Pacifics or the Deltics and some of their performances when deputising for failed Pacifics in the 1930s are astonishing. Another query which may have been resolved is the departmental carriage that I put on here a few days ago. I contacted Russell Whitwam of the LNERCA and a vehicle that could very well be the same one is stored awaiting restoration with them. https://allanjenks.smugmug.com/Other/North-Yorkshire-Moors-Railway/i-K9ZJJhs/A Is a photo of it. The pipe in the end is in a different position, which casts a bit of doubt that it is exactly the same vehicle but things like that could have changed over the years. The arrangement of the doors and windows, along with the lower footstep, are identical. It was based on Tyneside, so a trip across to Carlisle would be quite possible. If it is, then it is a Diagram 34, 6 of which ended up in departmental use. None of the similar Dia 127 (only different in the provision of duckets) did. Whether it is that actual vehicle or a very similar one is hard to prove but it does pin down the type. Does anybody have a carriage diagram book which shows how the compartments and interior were arranged? I am still intrigued by the compartment at the very end. It must have been a funny shape inside! Many thanks to Russell and the LNERCA for digging in to that one for me. Edited February 2, 2023 by t-b-g remove repetition 14 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony Wright Posted February 2, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 2, 2023 5 hours ago, t-b-g said: Following on from the earlier discussion, I had a walk up to the bridge this morning and took the attached from a similar viewpoint. Apart from the concrete bridge alterations, the high security metal fencing replacing the wooden railings, the overhead electrics, the overgrown embankments, the lack of telegraph poles, the addition of a trailing crossover (out of sight under the train in this shot) and the replacement of one of Gresley's finest and loco hauled stock with the new EMU, it has hardly changed. The EMU is certainly heading northwards and will shortly swoosh over Rossington level crossing. I have been looking at a lot of GNR prototypes recently for various reasons and I found myself longing, not for an A4 or a Deltic, but for an Ivatt Atlantic on a rake of 12 wheeled clerestories, possibly one of the best looking loco/train combinations ever. The Atlantics hauled the main ECML services for longer than the Gresley Pacifics or the Deltics and some of their performances when deputising for failed Pacifics in the 1930s are astonishing. Another query which may have been resolved is the departmental carriage that I put on here a few days ago. I contacted Russell Whitwam of the LNERCA and a vehicle that could very well be the same one is stored awaiting restoration with them. https://allanjenks.smugmug.com/Other/North-Yorkshire-Moors-Railway/i-K9ZJJhs/A Is a photo of it. The pipe in the end is in a different position, which casts a bit of doubt that it is exactly the same vehicle but things like that could have changed over the years. The arrangement of the doors and windows, along with the lower footstep, are identical. It was based on Tyneside, so a trip across to Carlisle would be quite possible. If it is, then it is a Diagram 34, 6 of which ended up in departmental use. None of the similar Dia 127 (only different in the provision of duckets) did. Whether it is that actual vehicle or a very similar one is hard to prove but it does pin down the type. Does anybody have a carriage diagram book which shows how the compartments and interior were arranged? I am still intrigued by the compartment at the very end. It must have been a funny shape inside! Many thanks to Russell and the LNERCA for digging in to that one for me. Thanks for that Tony, Did the Ivatt Atlantics haul the main ECML services for 40 years? The Gresley A1/A3s did. A friend of mine who lived in Hatfield recalls Gresley A3s being used extensively in the winter of 1963 on some principal ECML expresses, when diesel fuel actually 'froze'. That's over 40 years after the first A1s appeared. I don't think Ivatt's large 4-4-2s were heading the equivalents of the 'Talismans' in 1946! Though I have no tangible memory, there's a good chance I saw a C1 or two; at Kiveton Park in about 1950, right at the end of the veterans' lives when a few ended up at Darnall. Regarding longevity on ECML principal services, the Class 91s must be getting near to the A1s/A3s, and, from the empirical evidence through my office window, some are still going strong. One set seems to be in the original 'Inter City' livery; a nice touch. Does anyone know how long they've got left? Regards, Tony. 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post Tony Wright Posted February 2, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted February 2, 2023 In preparing my piece for BRM regarding the last 30 years, I considered the type of articles I was writing for the magazine in its first few years. One of which concerned my making of 'The Queen of Scots'.......... Which ran on Stoke Summit throughout its exhibition life. And now, over a quarter of a century later........... Still runs on Little Bytham. Ian Rathbone's superlative painting has lasted very well! 30 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium t-b-g Posted February 2, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 2, 2023 38 minutes ago, Tony Wright said: Thanks for that Tony, Did the Ivatt Atlantics haul the main ECML services for 40 years? The Gresley A1/A3s did. A friend of mine who lived in Hatfield recalls Gresley A3s being used extensively in the winter of 1963 on some principal ECML expresses, when diesel fuel actually 'froze'. That's over 40 years after the first A1s appeared. I don't think Ivatt's large 4-4-2s were heading the equivalents of the 'Talismans' in 1946! Though I have no tangible memory, there's a good chance I saw a C1 or two; at Kiveton Park in about 1950, right at the end of the veterans' lives when a few ended up at Darnall. Regarding longevity on ECML principal services, the Class 91s must be getting near to the A1s/A3s, and, from the empirical evidence through my office window, some are still going strong. One set seems to be in the original 'Inter City' livery; a nice touch. Does anyone know how long they've got left? Regards, Tony. I had mentioned A4s in the previous sentence and it was specifically those I was referring to but I didn't choose my words too carefully. The Atlantics did last 48 years in service, longer than the A1/A3 even if you count them as one class and add their lengths of service together but their appearances on main line expresses in later life were mainly limited to deputising for the odd failure. The C1s did still appear on trains like the Pullmans up to 1937. They did some of their best work in their later years, rather like the A3s, once Gresley had them fitted with Robinson superheaters. There is an account of one, in 1936, beating a scheduled time deputising for a failed A3 on a 17 coach, 585 ton train, running from Grantham to York. Not bad for a 31 year old loco, relegated from main line duties and seeing out its last days as Grantham pilot! 8 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Popular Post CF MRC Posted February 2, 2023 RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted February 2, 2023 (edited) It’s always a great feeling when a loco has a good first run on the MRC test tracks. The Skittle Alley easily started and ran with 18 on. She will probably take more but the loco and tender are minimally lubricated, so I didn’t want to push it. Tim Edited February 3, 2023 by CF MRC 22 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony Wright Posted February 3, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 3, 2023 11 hours ago, CF MRC said: It’s always a great feeling when a loco has a good first run on the MRC test tracks. The Skittle Alley easily started and ran with 18 on. She will probably take more but the loco and tender are minimally lubricated, so I didn’t want to push it. Tim Splendid work Tim, Thanks for showing us. Just how long is the time period on CF, please? I recall (many years ago) taking a shot of an A4 in garter blue on a Pullman service on your brilliant model railway, which must mean no earlier than 1937. By that time, the A2s would have been withdrawn, by then towing Gresley eight-wheeled tenders. You appear to run trains from GNR days as well, so is the period from the end of WW1 up to the beginning of WW2? This is not a criticism, but an observation (didn't I see a BR 82XXX on the NLR at Derby?). It raises an interesting point to me; that of how 'tight' a time period should we depict on the model railways we build? Mine is unashamedly 'flexible'. By that I mean I reflect my own trainspotting high-summer between 1956 and 1962. A very short-in-a-lifetime period, but one with profound consequences for my model-making life. Of course, it produces some glaring anomalies. Yes, I try to depict the summer of 1958 on Little Bytham, but how does that reconcile with no A4s still carrying single chimneys, some A3s having double chimneys (not fitted until 1959), some A3s fitted with German blinkers (not fitted until after 1961/'62) and production Deltics (not appearing until 1961)? Considering that the station was razed to the ground in 1959, then the A3s with blinkers and the Deltics are even more-anomalous. But, Rule 1 applies; it's my trainset, and that's that! I console myself with the notion that the time period on LB isn't too stretched. But, what about exhibition layouts where one train going along will be in, say, LNER condition, and the next will be in the BR blue condition? Or, even worse, a BR blue Class 20 on a rake of wooden-bodied PO wagons!. When I queried the point, I was told that all club members had equal rights to run whatever they liked; at an exhibition! I suppose it's up to folk to please themselves, but I'm always drawn to layouts where I can identify a time period depicted, without too much 'flexibility'. Regards, Tony. 3 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium CF MRC Posted February 3, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 3, 2023 (edited) Interesting question re period on CF, Tony. We generally say, ‘between the wars’. However, my loco scratch building takes the period back to 1910. Of late I have settled around the grouping for loco building. Both Valour and the Skittle Alley would have rubbed shoulders at KX in the summer of 1923 - both in glorious pre-group livery - so that is enough of an excuse for me. I obviously also like the streamliners so that pushes the period to ‘37 onwards. Generally, so long as it’s apple green and teak and worth looking at by most viewers, I think, are not too upset. The actual layout is again set ‘between the wars’. However the track plan near Gasworks Tunnel is up to 1932 and the presence of Belle Isle Up box sets it to the pre KX re-signalling. York Road tube also closed in 1932 so it is safe to say that end will be a time capsule of that era. I just have to make some horrendous underslung GNR somersault signal gantries to complete the scene… The BR 2-6-2 you saw at Derby is 2mm scale royalty, being perhaps the most famous of the Groves locos. We never run BR stuff on CF, but you never say never, do you? Tim Edited February 3, 2023 by CF MRC 12 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony Wright Posted February 3, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 3, 2023 3 minutes ago, CF MRC said: Interesting question re period on CF, Tony. We generally say, ‘between the wars’. However, my loco scratch building takes the period back to 1910. Of late I have settled around the grouping for loco building. Both Valour and the Skittle Alley would have rubbed shoulders at KX in the summer of 1923 - both in glorious pre-group livery - so that is enough of an excuse for me. I obviously also like the streamliners so that pushes the period to ‘37 onwards. Generally, so long as it’s apple green and teak and worth looking at most viewers, I think, are not too upset. The actual layout is again set ‘between the wars’. However the track plan near Gasworks Tunnel is up to 1932 and the presence of Belle Isle Up box sets it to the pre KX re-signalling. York Road tube also closed in 1932 so it is safe to say that end will be a time capsule of that era. I just have to make some horrendous underslung GNR somersault signal gantries to complete the scene… The BR 2-6-2 you saw at Derby is 2mm scale royalty, being perhaps the most famous of the Groves locos. We never run BR stuff on CF, but you never say never, do you? Tim Thanks Tim, I don't think anyone could ever be 'upset' looking at Copenhagen Fields. It's in my top ten list of layouts of all time! Regards, Tony. 2 8 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post Tony Wright Posted February 3, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted February 3, 2023 Yes, Copenhagen Fields................ GNR days? Also GNR? But with a BR Standard 2-6-2T? When did the tower's name change from Tylor to Ebonite? Immediate post-Grouping days? Definitely late-1930s. You know, I'm in a very-privileged position. How many other folk are invited to pop their cameras down on such a marvellous piece of modelling? And, no, it wasn't me who bent that signal box finial! 26 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post Barry Ten Posted February 3, 2023 RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted February 3, 2023 I've been stringing some 25 kv catenary on my French layout. It's all new to me so very much a learning curve. I'm using the Peco product, even though it's scaled for 00. It's made for Peco by Somerfeldt so a quality product, but a lot easier to obtain than the latter firm's European range. I don't remember seeing much catenary on Wright Writes? 22 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dunsignalling Posted February 3, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 3, 2023 18 hours ago, Tony Wright said: Thanks for that Tony, Did the Ivatt Atlantics haul the main ECML services for 40 years? The Gresley A1/A3s did. A friend of mine who lived in Hatfield recalls Gresley A3s being used extensively in the winter of 1963 on some principal ECML expresses, when diesel fuel actually 'froze'. That's over 40 years after the first A1s appeared. I don't think Ivatt's large 4-4-2s were heading the equivalents of the 'Talismans' in 1946! Though I have no tangible memory, there's a good chance I saw a C1 or two; at Kiveton Park in about 1950, right at the end of the veterans' lives when a few ended up at Darnall. Regarding longevity on ECML principal services, the Class 91s must be getting near to the A1s/A3s, and, from the empirical evidence through my office window, some are still going strong. One set seems to be in the original 'Inter City' livery; a nice touch. Does anyone know how long they've got left? Regards, Tony. And, of course, the 91s will have covered several times the mileage their steam counterparts did during their respective careers. The NSE/SWT Class 159 units were up to Bulleid Pacific totals well inside five years, and they are pushing thirty now. John 2 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium CF MRC Posted February 3, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 3, 2023 Tylor’s Tower became Ebonite in 1956, Tony. Interestingly, one of our group worked there in the early 80’s. It was demolished in 1983. Tim 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Barry Ten Posted February 3, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 3, 2023 I spy an Artitec building in that last shot of Copenhagen Fields. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony Wright Posted February 3, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 3, 2023 20 minutes ago, CF MRC said: Tylor’s Tower became Ebonite in 1956, Tony. Interestingly, one of our group worked there in the early 80’s. It was demolished in 1983. Tim Thanks Tim, Interestingly, in my last picture (taken some years ago), the tower on CF is branded 'Ebonite'. Regards, Tony. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium CF MRC Posted February 3, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 3, 2023 We didn’t realise the name change until relatively recently Tony. Tim 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Compound2632 Posted February 3, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 3, 2023 23 hours ago, Tony Wright said: Did the Ivatt Atlantics haul the main ECML services for 40 years? The Gresley A1/A3s did. But... The Ivatt Atlantics were introduced at a time when ECML expresses were changing rapidly - becoming faster and heavier, with corridor carriages and dining cars becoming more the order of the day. They were a response to keep up with that - such trains having got beyond a 4-2-2 - but a response mid-way through that period of change. The Pacifics came at a time when train speeds and weights had stabilised - i.e. at the end of that period of change - so remained on top of the job they had been designed for, because that job did not change significantly. (Excepting of course the ultra-high-speed Silver Jubilee and Coronation, which required the next stage of locomotive development; but they weren't typical of the bulk of ECML work.) Or so it seems to me, looking at the question "from a distance". I can't claim any familiarity with the details of ECML workings over the years. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post Tony Wright Posted February 3, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted February 3, 2023 (edited) Good evening Stephen, It's a pertinent observation. Accepting 'rebuilds', re-classifications and older-age improvements, the Gresley non-streamlined Pacifics ran on the jobs they were designed for from 1922 (when the first GNR A1s were built) until 1966 (when the last BR A3 was withdrawn). Ironically (or is it ironic?), some of their best work was done in the last few years of their lives (after all were fitted with double Kylchaps). In fact, up to the complete dieselisation of the ECML, the veterans were used alongside, turn and turn about, their newer and larger relatives in the form of the A4s, A1s and various A2s. In the August of 1960, I saw MERRY HAMPTON on the Down morning 'Talisman' day after day. That train (though admittedly light - nine cars), was the fastest Anglo-Scottish service (other than the non-stop). 60066 took the train to Newcastle, returned south later in the day, and was back going north 24 hours later on the 'Talisman'; it was actually a diesel diagram! Not bad for a basic design 38 years old. Obviously I'm partisan, but no other large, express passenger steam loco type ran regularly on as many pre-Grouping railways as the A3s (other than the 'Britannias') - GNR, NER NBR, GC, CR, G&SWR and MR. Regularly on expresses, not downgraded in old age, as happened to previous classes. Indeed, the S&C men thought them the best they'd ever had. The C1s were fantastic locomotives, but for almost the last decade of their existences, they were 'retired' to duties far beneath top link work. These are Bytham's current A3s............ 60039. Wills kit, scratch-built chassis, built/painted by me. 60046. DJH kit, K's tender, built by me, painted by Geoff Haynes. 60048. Wills kit, scratch-built chassis, Jamieson tender, built/painted by me. An early view. 60062. South Eastern Finecast kit, built by me, painted by Geoff Haynes. 60063. South Eastern Finecast kit, built by me, painted by Ian Rathbone. 60077. Modified Hornby RTR by Tom Wright. I used to have three other modified Hornby A3s, but these have all been sold on. 60080. DJH kit, built by Steve Naylor, repainted by me. 60102. South Eastern Finecast kit, built by me, painted by Geoff Haynes. 60103. Wills kit, scratch-built chassis, K's tender, painted by me. Another early view. 60104. DJH kit, built/painted by Alan Hammet, weathered by Tony Geary. 60106. DJH kit, built/painted by Alan Hammet, weathered by Tony Geary. 60111. South Eastern Finecast kit, built by me, painted by Geoff Haynes. Obviously, there are anomalies regarding the dates/details for the above locos. However, as I said earlier, they represent the period 1956-'62. I've just made a start on building COLORADO, and there are two more DJH kits on the shelf! Regards, Tony. Edited February 3, 2023 by Tony Wright typo error 21 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Compound2632 Posted February 3, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 3, 2023 19 minutes ago, Tony Wright said: G&SWR That's piqued my curiosity - what work did A3s do on the Sou'-West? Working through to/from Leeds with the Thames-Forth &c.? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony Wright Posted February 3, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 3, 2023 17 minutes ago, Compound2632 said: That's piqued my curiosity - what work did A3s do on the Sou'-West? Working through to/from Leeds with the Thames-Forth &c.? Yes Stephen. The 'Thames-Clyde' on the MR and G&SWR, and the 'Thames-Forth' and, latterly, 'The Waverley' over the MR and the NBR. Regards, Tony. 2 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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