Wright writes.....

[Barclay]

34 minutes ago, Possy92 said:

 

Hi Tony,

 

it was a pleasure to see you, (albeit briefly!) on Saturday, many thanks for hosting our flying visit! We thoroughly enjoyed our time, I've learnt a lot about railway operation of the time, and of course, loved your anecdotes! We will definitely come and see you again. Little Bytham, and all the rolling stock is even better in the flesh - thank you for sharing it with us! I'm very honoured to have had a locomotive photographed on your layout.

 

The L&Y 23 is of Cotswold/Nu-cast heritage, the first locomotive kit I've built. I intend to use it on my WIP layout, "Horwich Works" set roughly late 50s to mid 60s where 11304 was one of the resident shunters.

 

kind regards,

 

Andy

If that Cotswold Kit of the L&Y class 23 can be made to look that good, then it inspires me to get mine out of the 'cupboard of shame' (at least 25 years) and get on with it - a great piece of work, especially as a first loco kit. And, with apologies to Tony, it's marvellous to see a 'proper' loco on LB !

[Darryl Tooley]

43 minutes ago, davidw said:

I suspect that foot boards need to also be under the end doors is that correct?

Yes, but that will be it as far as bogie footboards on end-door stock go.

 

This was the normal arrangement on end-door corridor and open stock:

 

 

(Dennis Seabrook Collection/LNER Society

 

D

[davidw]

1 minute ago, Darryl Tooley said:

Yes, but that will be it as far as bogie footboards on end-door stock go.

 

This was the normal arrangement on end-door corridor and open stock:

 

 

(Dennis Seabrook Collection/LNER Society

 

D

Thanks that's just the type of photo I was looking for!

[Tony Wright]

3 hours ago, davidw said:

I do have lots of weathered stock but I've not been doing any lately. What I have done is these:

 

A pair of gresley open thirds/seconds.

 

I've another SO and BSO to do. With plans for a CK, and BSK and end door stock. Quite pleased with the results so far.

A question if I may. On the original Hornby model, there's what appears to be a foot board between the wheels.  I suspect that foot boards need to also be under the end doors is that correct?

Good evening David,

 

It was usual to have a footboard at the outer end of the bogie with end-door stock/open stock (of both Gresley and Thompson origin); often with no centre footboard at all.

 

 

As here.

 

 

And here. I doubt if there's a centre footboard.

 

 

On transverse corridor Thompson stock (other than the brakes), the bogies had no footboards.

 

They were there on the brakes.

 

 

Centre footboards would be there on the all-door stock.

 

Please (all) respect copyright restrictions on these images.

 

Regards,

 

Tony.  

 

 

Edited August 12 by Tony Wright
to add something

[davidw]

7 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

Good evening David,

 

It was usual to have a footboard at the outer end of the bogie with end-door stock/open stock (of both Gresley and Thompson origin); often with no centre footboard at all.

 

 

As here.

 

 

And here. I doubt if there's a centre footboard.

 

 

On transverse corridor Thompson stock (other than the brakes), the bogies had no footboards.

 

They were there on the brakes.

 

 

Centre footboards would be there on the all-door stock.

 

Please (all) respect copyright restrictions on these images.

 

Regards,

 

Tony.  

 

 

Thanks Tony, at source the Hornby model has a  centre footboard. Possibly incorrect? Unless specific to the prototypes Hornby have modelled.  I've so far used two BCKs as donors. 

[Tony Wright]

3 minutes ago, davidw said:

Thanks Tony, at source the Hornby model has a  centre footboard. Possibly incorrect? Unless specific to the prototypes Hornby have modelled.  I've so far used two BCKs as donors. 

Good evening again David,

 

For brakes and the all-door stock, the bogie centre footboards would appear to be correct (though they snap off the Hornby bogies with ease!).

 

Two of my cars with bogie end steps.................

 

 

Soldered to the metal bogies (though they could be a little longer).

 

 

And (brass strip) glued to the plastic bogies. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[RThompson]

Hello Tony,

 

On the subject of weathering, a few examples of mine with the added bonus of all models built from kits and all 4mm scale.

 

Edited August 13 by RThompson

[sandra]

1 hour ago, Tony Wright said:

Good evening David,

 

It was usual to have a footboard at the outer end of the bogie with end-door stock/open stock (of both Gresley and Thompson origin); often with no centre footboard at all.

 

 

As here.

 

 

And here. I doubt if there's a centre footboard.

 

 

On transverse corridor Thompson stock (other than the brakes), the bogies had no footboards.

 

They were there on the brakes.

 

 

Centre footboards would be there on the all-door stock.

 

Please (all) respect copyright restrictions on these images.

 

Regards,

 

Tony.  

 

 

Hello Tony,

 

I was intrigued by the photograph of 60046 Diamond Jubilee at Retford. The train consists of only two coaches but the locomotive has express lamps. Presumably it’s a local and 60046 is running in but it does seem strange that it doesn’t have the stopping passenger headcode. There seem to be people in the train so it’s not a shunting move so I presume it’s a stopper from Grantham to Doncaster.

 

Certainly if I had such a train on Retford I’d get a few funny looks.

 

Sandra

[New Haven Neil]

My small contribution to the weathering, a 7mm Minerva Victory.   Bit of a beast in 7mm really!

 

[Tony Wright]

25 minutes ago, sandra said:

Hello Tony,

 

I was intrigued by the photograph of 60046 Diamond Jubilee at Retford. The train consists of only two coaches but the locomotive has express lamps. Presumably it’s a local and 60046 is running in but it does seem strange that it doesn’t have the stopping passenger headcode. There seem to be people in the train so it’s not a shunting move so I presume it’s a stopper from Grantham to Doncaster.

 

Certainly if I had such a train on Retford I’d get a few funny looks.

 

Sandra

Good evening Sandra,

 

It's not an uncommon occurrence on the ECML of the period - a big engine on only two coaches.

 

I'll find some more examples.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Mike 84C]

Just for a change this Sunday past my wife and I went up to Louth and visited two gardens that are participating in the National Open Gardens scheme. A bit strange in Louth, there is a beautifully preserved Station and signalbox but worth another visit because we could not stop. But at Fotherby we were walking down the main street to the next garden visit and lo there is a level crossing with a double track main line, rails in situ and level crossing gates collapsing into the undergrowth. Rather sad. But both gardens were well worth visiting if you have the slightest interest in gardening. I recommend The secret garden of Louth, it quite mad, a tropical garden with banana trees and bamboos and little shaded areas with seats and things in them its got a face book page and Woodlands in Fotherby traditional and completely different.

[St Enodoc]

10 hours ago, Roger Sunderland said:

 

Each to his own but I think both the images with smoke enhance both the models and scenery. This image by Andy York on my Bournemouth West layout depicts the Bournemouth Belle making a spirited start from West station. IMHO the smoke conveys the loco working hard at the start of the gradient out of the station. Not the feeling you would get if it’s missing I think.

 

10 hours ago, MikeParkin65 said:

Generally I dont think digital smoke and steam 'works' but this image is an exception.

I will concede that this looks better than most I've seen. Might be the colour/density/fluffiness (technical term).

 

If the wheels were slipping it would be near-perfect...

[St Enodoc]

Footboards - following on from what others have said and generalising (yes, I know all generalisations are false...), I suspect that lower footboards were only fitted where staff would need to climb up from/down to rail level, usually at doorways nearest the ends of the coach.

[Tony Wright]

Footboards..............

 

 

Many BGs had a footboard on the lower framing below the guard's door, as on this modified Bachmann Thompson example. 

 

The problem was that there were no footboards on the solebars beneath the doors (these came from a Kirk sprue).

 

Re-gauged, this now runs on Retford. 

 

 

For the lower footboard on this Lawrence/Goddard Thompson BG, a bit of signal ladder sufficed!

 

 

[Tony Wright]

Short train lengths on the ECML in BR steam days...............

 

 

Just three cars-long, but displaying express passenger lamps. 

 

 

The 'ultimate' express freight for those with very little space?

 

 

But much more-typical. 

 

For those interested in steam effects, this trio of pictures is rather interesting (at least to me).

 

It would appear TAGALIE (top) has some problem with her glands, and has just started off from Grantham still 'cold' so to speak.

 

FLYING FOX and DONCASTER, despite their shabby external conditions (jobs for 'extreme' weatherers?), are absolutely steam-tight, displaying no exhaust at all. Who needs digital (or 'real') smoke? 

 

 

Edited August 13 by Tony Wright
to add something

[grahame]

It's been swelteringly hot and sunny of recent days, over 30C, making it very sweaty in the shed and limiting the time I could spend in there and progress things. Nonetheless I've managed to tweak the frontage of Telephone House so that it sits flush on London Bridge Street road/pavement which includes the road area of Station Approach, London Bridge Street and the forecourt with bus stands that I recently added. Fielden House only needs a little work while the building between them (the red one in the pic below) need a complete frontage made and added - hopefully I'll be able to get that done (or at least started) soon.

 

So here's a little progress on my N/2mm cardboard cityscape at the left end of the layout showing the rear of the buildings that front London Bridge Street behind the under-construction steel framed building site and the Georgian style terrace (from right to left - the white one is Fielden House, the red one needs a front and the yellow one is Telephone House). There's hardly any railway to be seen in this view but the arched bridge/viaduct side can just be seen in the background. And there's still lots to do;

 

 

 

 

 

[grahame]

And just in case the previous pic gives the impression it's not a railway layout with trains, and only a diorama, here's a pic, taken through the shed side window, showing the railway in the same left end area.

 

 

 

Edited August 13 by grahame

[APOLLO]

Short train with big engine. Southbound on the WCML at Whitley Crossing, Wigan 1967 or so, Dads photo.

 

 

Brit15

[MJI]

Back in early 80s lots of Plymouth Penzance trains were a 50 with 4 mark 1s, once 3.

 

TSO SK CK BSK

[92220]

Good evening Tony (well, it is evening here, 6 hours ahead of the UK),

 

Replying a little late to the invitation to post some examples of weathering.  These are not desperately brilliant photos but that could either exaggerate mistakes or disguise them.

 

My weathering is largely inspired by the Right Track dvds with Tim Shackleton and various books, articles etc

 

46239 “City of Chester”. Hornby body on Comet frames with a fair bit of extra detailing, modifications and a lot of lead inside.  
 

 

45735 “Comet” Rebuilt Jubilee - started life as a Bachmann Jubilee “Drake” but mated with a Hornby Rebuilt Patriot firebox, boiler and smokebox, plus deflectors.  Again plenty of other detailing eg Gibson bogie wheels.

 

 

44687 and 44741, both massively hacked about Hornby Black 5s with all sorts of added detail and modifications that are needed not just to make Caprotti versions, but also to rectify the issues with Hornby Stanier tenders.  In these cases the Comet versions were substituted as I need part welded tender bodies and roller bearings for 44687 and plain bearings but short spring hangers for 44741. 
 

 

 

 

46251 “City of Nottingham”. Hornby but much modified.  T cut to remove a lot of the dreadful factory dirty thinners, front brakes added, Comet bogie and new trailing truck and rear frames.  Reflection off the white board does the tender no favours.  It’s not that bad in person.

 

 

46146 “The Rifle Brigade” Hornby and Brassmasters hybrid.

 

but of course this has “done a Hornby Scot” and eaten its gears so replacement running gear needed.  

 

 

Finally 2 carriages. A Mainline mk1 catering car in bright sunlight, and a Bachmann mbk 1 BG.
I probably overdid the oily door hinges on this.  But I did do it nearly 10 years ago.

 

 

 

Hope all well with you and Mo, and I hope very much to be able to arrange a return visit as you kindly invited, very soon.  
 

Best wishes,

 

Iain

[Jesse Sim]

Speaking of weathering I’ve been doing some recently…

 

 

[gr.king]

A more productive activity than joining your nation's Olympic break-dancing squad...

[Jesse Sim]

45 minutes ago, gr.king said:

A more productive activity than joining your nation's Olympic break-dancing squad...

We are disowning her. 

[Tony Teague]

Before the weathering topic runs out of steam (or rust, perhaps?); here is an awful example of really bad factory weathering, on a Dapol milk tank:

 

 

It looks like they have simply sprayed everything from chassis to half way up the tank with a thick reddish rust colour!

Fortunatly it comes off quite easily with thinners.

I hope that they have improved since, or given up - but it does serve to show just how good some of the other, self-weathered examples are that have gone before.

 

Tony

Edited August 13 by Tony Teague

[APOLLO]

A few years ago Hattons (remember them ?) had a sale on - A Bachmann Standard class 5 in green for around £50 quid or so.

 

 

 

I bought one with the intention of mucking it up to represent a Patricroft example (always filthy).

 

On receiving and unboxing she looked wonderful in her green livery, such a shame to desecrate this fine model. So she stayed as is. 73014 was last allocated to Bolton, being condemned from there in July 1967, still in green livery so I have read.

 

Now I'm not really anti weathering, and some wonderfully weathered models have been shown here recently - but for many of my models it's just not for me. (especially my O gauge North American diesels with their colourful paint schemes). But I did heavily weathered my two Bachmann WD (Dub D's) - and lost their numbers as I weathered over them !! I never saw a clean Dub D with readable numbers !!

 

Brit15

Edited August 13 by APOLLO