Castle

Hi All, Mike - people would miss you if you didn’t come with us! Two places as always good sir and thanks in advance! Bernie - everyone is welcome good sir! Two places it is. All the best, Castle

Hi All, Never seen that shot of No. 1363 before! Thanks for sharing it Rob. She looks to be in pretty good condition there. The latest RMWEB Didcot tour has been arranged by the way. I though the ANTB gang might have an interest in coming along... http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/132222-rmweb-tour-of-didcot-railway-centre-centre-2018-edition-sunday-29th-july/ I hope that some of you are able to come along this year! All the best, Castle

Hi All, David - I look forward to seeing yourself and your son on the day! Ray - I’ll put you down for two and a half places then mate! All the best, Castle

Hi Bob, You’ve got it! See you there! All the best, Castle

Hi All, No.46, I am humbled by your endorsements! Thanks for saying what you have and it means a lot. Like any railway preservationist, we do it all (tours included!) because we love the subject and enjoy sharing our somewhat privalidged position with as many people as possible. If you are not busy, you would be most welcome again! Ray and Polly - fantastic news! I look forward to what will be our second meeting this year! Dia the Steam must be put in No. 4079’s driving seat this time. Yes, it will be reattached by then... All the best, Castle

Hi All, It is so sad to hear that Dave has passed away - a true stalwart in the hobby. As long as I can remember, the Mainly Trains / Dave Cleal type face and logo adorned the pages of Railway Modeller and were an integral part of the hobby. My thoughts are with those who were close to him. Thanks for all the fun and enjoyment that you and your products have given to us all Dave. Andrew - well done! There are a number of bits I always bought from Dave and used in Little Didcot. Stocks were beginning to run low of things like wagon brake bits so, like others here, I am really grateful that you have taken this range on. You saved Comet and allowed me to collect all the Little Didcot coaches from them and now this. Thank you SO much! Orders will be forthcoming good sir... The excellent 4-wheel GWR coach chassis being a first thought - I have a couple of departmental jobs and a camping version to do! All the best, Castle

Hi All, The World Famous* RMWEB Tour of Didcot Railway Centre Sunday 29th July 2018 A bit later than normal - sorry everyone! The final ok was granted by management on Saturday and I was a bit busy on Sunday with other things steam engine so here we are! For those that haven’t been before, my team and I will show you the whole of Didcot Railway Centre, taking you behind the scenes and giving you a chance to look at anything and everything you want to see as far as is possible! You can make prior requests to see things either before, during or after the tour and we will do our very best to let you see, photograph and / or measure what you need to! There will be trains running that day (when I know the roster, I will let you know - there will be a guest engine on site) and we will also tour Radstock Signal Box, the Carriage & Wagon Works, the Carriage & Wagon Storage shed and the locomotive works as well as all the normal visitor attractions. We have a great time and we also get to meet our fellow RMWEBBERs and put faces to names! We ought to give you a little sample of what is to be seen - how’s this? The plan will be for you to get in as soon after we open as possible and take your train rides and have a spot of lunch, visit the shops, etc and we will meet up at the entrance kiosk by the main gate at 12:00hrs. From there, we will do our tour and we are usually done by about 16:00hrs after tea (the main motive fluid for railway preservation, coffee is substituted by some) has been drunk and the world has been put to rights. There is parking across the road from Didcot Parkway station and the centre is accessed through the underpass in the station itself. The other way to get there is of course by train! So - I will ask the question I ask every year - who wants to come and have a look in the largest and greatest GWR toybox in the world? All the best, Castle *After OTBL and his good lady joined us last year, I can definitely claim this now! They have the longest distance travelled so far for the tour - it will take a bit of beating! Can we do it?

Hi Ade, You know, that engine is vaguely familiar! There is of course the livery to decide upon (why do people concentrate on trivialities like that when the frames are only just being laid down?) - red or green? I look forward to seeing this one develop. All the best, Castle

Will do! All the best, Castle

Now that I can do Rich! All the best, Castle

Hi Rich, That’s the one! That is also a really kind offer Rich. I don’t want people thinking I’m just going around RMWEB trying to get someone else to do my projects for me! I recently suggested the ROTANK and the HYDRA in the Oxford Rail wish list too as I figured that having found a space in the market, they with their vehicle production business could do something with it. Imagine them available in a range of liveries with era appropriate road vehicles on. A no-brainer I would have thought... I’ve now got two people offering to do models here on Little Didcot too! The most important thing is that you guys do the projects you want to do. If that crosses over with my stuff then great but don’t feel that you have to follow my particular peculiar wants! A quick note. I’m having a chat with an expert on GWR milk tanks here on RMWEB via a PM at the moment as there seems to be a little confusion on the exact diagram of the GWS ROTANK. The GWS website might be a bit off... I will report back as soon as possible as it might make a huge difference! All the best, Castle

Hi MIB, That’s it - Rule 1! I have to say, part of the desire to build the Little Didcot fleet is to bring the collection to life in a way that the cost of boiler certification, restoration, space and funding simply don’t allow. This has to include all of it in my chosen time period and Nos. 4709 and 2999 are part of that picture and they should take their place. The engines were of a real class and those real engines did real jobs so it’s not too great a stretch. I am hoping the ever closer launch of No. 2999 will result in a nice new Saint will result in a new model. There can’t be THAT much work to do to get to one from either of the big two one would have thought? Perhaps the range within the class is a little daunting? My model of No.1014 is a little easier to justify... All the best, Castle

Hi MIB, The chimney will remain as Swindon intended - no electrification or shorter gauge in our time period! Like I said, it will probably upset the purists but as quite a lot else does anyway I’m not that bothered. When I run it with the Prairie, 52XX and 28XX that were dismantled in order to build the replica things get even worse but I think it’s a nice way to remember the machines. Absolutely on the test procedure - I might take it to a friends house as he has a roundy - roundy loop it can stretch its legs on. I’m sure he won’t mind giving it a go! Yep - red plates that way have been done before in the Little Didcot fleet! Good technique. All the best, Castle

Hi All, I’m really sorry I made you late for work - I shall go and sit on the Nod to Brent naughty step and think about what I have done for a while... Thanks for all the kind words! Thanks Scott - nice to know the posts are appreciated! I’ll do some more when I feel the urge. I am interested to know what people think about he content of it too. Very clever and simple eh? I have definitely been described by at least one of those words in the past but I’m not saying which... All the best, Castle

Hi BGman, I’d love to have a go one day - I do harbour a not so secret desire to model REALLY early railways. Broad gauge and before that as well. Can you imagine a version of Stephenson’s Rocket done to modern standards now that something the size of the Wickham Trolley is a thing? How about Locomotion or Puffing Billy? Our man SEM34090 here is planning on doing Derwent! It’s an untapped market and I suspect they would sell very well on the novelty (get it!) aspect alone. A little OO version of Trevithick’s first loco (albeit with the flanges in the wrong place - the wheels!) with that huge flywheel and geared drive train would be fascinating to watch go along. I don’t know about you people but I’d definitely have one! The problem is that there is about 10,000 other things on the to do list before it! I suspect quite a few people want to see a certain 1:1 scale engine get up and go in the not too distant future too! I wouldn’t have anywhere to run broad gauge stock either.* Although if I were to remedy that I do have a plan. I have never seen a broad gauge loco shed layout and I don’t suppose that they were all dirty great Old Oak sized things. Well, they were quite wide by their very nature if you think about it... It certainly would be a unique spin on quite a popular layout trope wouldn’t it? Maybe one day. If that idea appeals to anyone with more time and knowledge of the era than me, then please do it - I think it would be great to see! It would be a great way to showcase the unique motive power of the era. A final thought. Having remembered this little long forgotten idea that I may never have time to realise, perhaps a thread on the Modelling Musings area entitled something like ‘layout ideas you haven’t got time for but you would really like to see and might be great for someone else’ ** should be a thing? All the best, Castle *Just like all the rest of my stock at the moment so that’s not really a good excuse is it? ** I’ll have GOT to work on that title...

Hi Scott, I liked them and I thought for the sort of thing you or I might get into running a layout they could be very useful. Some people have had differing views (please stick those views here if you can - I’d be interested to hear them!) but on the whole I have enjoyed reading them and wouldn’t say no. There are some cracking pictures in there too from the broad gauge onwards and a lot of different documents and other esoterica that nerds like us love! All the best, Castle

Hi Tinker, That’s good news about the 47XX. I can report that this has already been arranged for history bending purposes: I’m not sure how much fun it will be fitting these but it’s bye bye warranty anyway once it’s weathered so it’s a moot point! I couldn’t help feel the irony that this was order number 5051... They are going on this: http://www.hattons.co.uk/171987/Heljan_4783_Class_47xx_2_8_0_Night_Owl_4706_in_BR_black_with_early_emblem/StockDetail.aspx To paint the cabside plates red or not is the big decision. I guess it’s my choice! All the best, Castle

Hi Jenny, A great video as always! Good fun too which is what the hobby is about after all! Although, it has to be said, the above comment has now got me thinking about ‘Snow Drift at Bleath Gill’ and all those wonderful and romantic pictures and films of trains in snow in a whole new way that I’m a little unsettled about... All the best, Castle

Hi Ian, You could always talk to Railtec Steve or John from Cambridge Custom Transfer - both of this parish - to see if they can produce the brandings for you if you can’t find them... Just a thought! All the best, Castle

Hi All, I thought that it might be useful for those interested to have a look at the other popular reference volumes in the Castle Library with regards to the GWR / WR wagon fleet. Let’s have a look at a few oldie but goodies first shall we? These are still available for purchase second hand and can all be tracked down with varying degrees of difficulty. I will include a shot of the front and the back for the (I)SBN numbers. This one is quite good - lots of interesting pictures in it including some of the weirder stuff likePOLLENs and CROCODILEs in early BR liveries. Something that isn’t that easy to find strangely. I guess works shots in GWR is a given so that’s usually available... Anyway, old book, nice addition to the collection, a few really interesting shots. If you can pick it up at reasonable cost go for it but not essential. The rear picture is the one of loads of broad gauge stock at Swindon for breaking up - it’s a classic! Next we have the book with the 16 word title! There are some really quite interesting bits in here. Loading of wagons, how to and how not to do it, pictures of all sorts of weird stuff like the S&T mes van conversion I built recently and much more. If you have the wagon bible then this is probably the next one to hunt down. It’s a bit of a porkie to say this is mine because it isn’t (!) but it’s on long term loan from a good friend. This is a really great book as it has several drawings not in the wagon bible. The most important of which is a large selection of most (not the O58 ROTANK sadly - grrrr!) of the GWR milk tankers and a few other bits and pieces. Well worth having to compliment the bible. And finally (as they say on the news), a couple of modern offerings which provide a nice layman’s overview of services and a number of really interesting images too. Again, worth reading if you can lay hands on them for reasonable money. I’m lucky in that my GWS membership gets me 10% off in the DRC bookshop. Subtle membership plug intended... My friends here on RMWEB may also be interested in knowing that I haven’t forgotten about the RMWEB Didcot Railway Centre Centre Tour this year - I should have some details about it after Saturday. I’m looking forward to seeing faces old and new! All the best, Castle

Hi SEM34090, What a REALLY kind offer! I definitely have the drawings and photos for the HYDRA - I will send you a PM later in the week and we can sort something out. I of course have now remembered that you and I had discussed the loco projects now I think about it. I blame the old age good sir! Like I say, do get in touch if you need anything for that too. All the best, Castle

Hi Mark, You have a PM. All the best, Castle

Thanks for that SEM34090, Well you (probably didn’t) heard it here first folks! I look forward to seeing some CAD drawings! Shannon of course is only 15 tons so could be used as a load on a great many well wagons. She travelled to the Shildon event like this for example, her little wheels and great age meaning she wasn’t expected to get there on her own! To this end, please make the chimney a separate piece and supply printed wheels - that gives you a unique display option. The chimney came off to keep her in gauge. All the best, Castle PS: I don’t suppose I could interest you in making prints for a diagram O58 ROTANK and road wagon, a G22 HYDRA, a 3152 SR Milk Tanker and a BR WELTROL bogie well wagon at all? I could show you a few prototypes... Worth a try surely?! And don’t call me Shirley...

Hi Ian, Another less aggressive option than the finreglass pencil is the use of a specific decal and detail removing solution. I have a bottle of the stuff from Joe’s Model Trains (an American supplier) that I have had for years and has done lots of work. I’m not half way down the bottle! I got mine from Model Junction in Slough who deal in all sorts of Americana as well as a few UK bits too. https://www.modeljunction.info/estore/ The procedure is to carefully put the gunge (I could have said viscous fluid but gunge is funnier!) on the thing you want to remove. Let it do it’s magic for a couple of minute and carefully wipe off with a cotton bud. Repeat as required... I hope this helps! All the best, Castle

Hi SEM34090, I didn’t know that and I certainly might be interested in Shannon - even just as a static loco. A friend of mine funnily enough asked about BPC the other day and he reads this thread so now he knows! What’s the plan for chassis? All the best, Castle