luckymucklebackit

Should be the any of the following 64C Dalry Road 4w/e 19/05/1951 ALLOC 64A St Margarets 4w/e 01/11/1952 ALLOC 64E Polmont 4w/e 16/06/1956 ALLOC 65F Grangemouth 4w/e 10/08/1963 ALLOC 65F Grangemouth 5w/e 07/09/1963 ALLOC 65K Polmont 4w/e 09/11/1963 Jim

I grew up with these units, I remember as a wee boy seeing them on test, I watched them from the back window of my family home from 1965 to 1981 and copped the lot, I remember trying to get unit 106, which was my last to complete, seemed to take me ages sitting at the end of platform 11A at Central before I saw it. I was also on the last run from Bellgrove to Helensburgh! This was the view from my bedroom window. Must re-scan than one as a bigger view. Jim

...a modern diesel depot that sees more steam locomotives than diesel! There are three Black FIves shedded there!!!

Ah! the famous Ben's wife!!

The snowplough fitted to the model would be for single line ploughing, the offset plough would be for double track ploughing to ensure that the bulk of the snow went towards the cess instead of the 6 ft. Jim

According to the LNER Encyclopedia.. "During World War 2, the J36s could often be found on main line goods work again. Two were also allocated to Malton for working pick-up goods duties to Driffield, Kirbymoorside, Thirsk, and Whitby. Another three were hauling local goods traffic in the Newcastle area from Borough Gardens shed" Jim

Hi Martyn - the bodyside grille that you mention distinguishes the class 311 from the 303. (units originally numbered 092 - 110). The 311s had their traction motors upgraded from 207hp to 222hp to cope with the gradients on the Weymss Bay branch, these traction motors were air-cooled from the two ducts on each side of the unit positioned well above rail level to prevent ingress of brake dust to the motors. Jim

Its coming home! its coming home!.........

Similarly in the rather posh area of Glasgow called Newton Mearns, there is a Rodger Avenue, where the "R" on the road name is regularly doctored to look like a "P". (If this is lost on you look up the meaning on the Urban Dictionary) Jim

There is an even more "train-set" like on in Genoa down by the docks, remember seeing it from a cruise ship I was on, don't have the photographs from that trip to hand so here is a grab from Google Jim

Iron Man - Black Sabbath

Interstellar Overdrive - Pink Floyd

That looks good Martyn, wonder how difficult it would be to have working doors! Mind you there used to be a standing joke involving 303s and members a certain religious group renowned for home calls, the difference being that you it was easier to shut the door on the religious group than a 303!! Jim

The Hero's Return - Pink Floyd

Hi - J3848 to be pedantic that is a 311 at, you can tell by the high level air intake grilles on the carriage sides, the shunter in the background is an 06. Jim

Sweet Lorraine - Uriah Heep,

I'm sending Kathy Bates round to teach you a lesson for posting such a groan worthy joke

Life on Mars - David Bowie

To finish off the uncoupler mechanism I have cobbled together the lever frame to actuate the uncouplers [/url] The levers are made from plastic tube with the picture wire threaded through, a small length of the bicycle spoke forms the pivot rod mounted in two pieces of choco block. I then cut small squares of copper from a sheet and curved then so that they fit round the plastic tube, the copper squares and the picture wire were then tinned and then the wire was soldered to the copper which was then in turn superglued to the plastic rod, to give more rigidity a copper tube was then pushed up the inside of the plastic tube. I have still to paint the levers to colour code them to each uncoupler then form a bit of casing round the lower end Jim

Totally agree - as a former member of the ISTC I became aware that the union officials were domineering clowns that used their shop stewards as muscle. I was glad to be out of it,

The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway - Genesis

Not much creative activity on either Gateside or Allenshaw over the past week thanks to the purchase of a display layout. My nephew is the manager of a Care Home in Glasgow and he offered me for the princely sum of £100 this 8ft by 4ft layout, all the buildings and scenics and stock includingHornby Duchess (old style) Set including Duchess of Sutherland with four LMS coaches and Track Lima Strathclyde Liveried class 101 DMU Hornby Thomas set with Annie, Clarabel and various wagons An unfortunately incomplete Hornby Pendolino, driving coaches missing but the two inner coaches present. Lima class 47 in Intercity Livery The layout was delivered on Friday Morning and put in the dining room, I was given clear instructions from Mrs Luckymucklebackit that it was to be dismantled and out of the dining room by Sunday! And no Mess!!! This was not the easiest of jobs as I wanted to salvage as much as possible and whoever built it meant it to last - which unfortunately had led to its demise. It was constructed from 15mm flooring chipboard on a sturdy timber frame, with Hornby steel set-track throughout, this had been pinned in every hole then well ballasted with a strong PVA solution I think (rock hard), and since the layout had been displayed in the foyer of the care home (as per photograph = glass windows all round) had been subject to some extremes of temperature that resulted in about 50% of the track buckling, so that had to be scrapped off. All the buildings were Metcalf, securely glued to the baseboard so I had to carefully pries these off, lost the platforms and one industrial building (but saved the glazing for future use), the only downside is that again because of where the layout was displayed, the side of the buildings facing he window were well bleached. Also managed to save a whole load of good quality trees and other scenic details which will find their way onto Gateside. Suffice to say it is now an ex-layout, bereft of track it rests in the skip The stock that came with it is now in the loft pending a check over and test, hope to do that tonight and post some photographs. Cheers everyone Jim

Now I know where Rowan Atkinson gets the inspiration for his Blackadder Scripts

Last email I had from Hattons suggested a December release but I would not dispute your gen, I did say on another thread that Model Rail 2019 could be a likely launch vehicle. At least we are getting updates on this one, the silence from Rails/Bachman is deafening. Jim