The Bigbee Line

I think most readers would like an 8 x 4 to get something running..... I know I would!

Boxhill just has a hole through at floor level. I'll check out my pictures. https://www.flickr.com/photos/55938574@N03/22877196905/in/album-72157660985737241/ This is the door on Stepney at Sheffield Park A couple of grab shots from York NRM

Further to the informative post from Ian. Other than the cliff falls I thought Shakespeare Tunnel was reasonably stable. The section outside the tunnel mouths adjacent to the footbridge has had previous subsidence in the 90s I think. Also the Tunnel at Abbotcliffe was "rolling" towards the sea. Has that been stopped? The other, not often mentioned downside is the historic instability of Folkestone Warren. I'm not one to promote line closures but Dover has three other routes to London; Chatham via Ramsgate, Chatham via Canterbury East and Ashford via Minster. If the line was closed from Folkestone Central, there is space at Folkestone East for stabling and or a 'Parkway' station. One more option is to deal with Shakespeare and Abbotscliffe Tunnels in the same manner as Round Down Cliff ie blow them up with Gunpowder has room for stabling.

Will I??? Gets a bit blurred now.... I'll have to check. They did unload Gas Oil in Bulwark sidings and there was a discharge point on the Western Docks where the track from platforms 4 and 5 went over the crossing. Supplied the tanks for the heating boilers...... never seen a picture of that one....

A couple from the archive. Both taken when visiting Scunthorpe after work. 24th June 2005 2nd August 2005

Can I have a view on the running of these loco's. There have been comments regarding derailments etc. Are these showstoppers or quick fixes?

I think it was a Y service and ran to either as traffic permitted

I've a few MOD pictures from my time with RfD and in 275 Railway Squadron. Internally the MOD sites had s lot of old vacuum braked vans etc. Mostly in Olive Green. We had a retailing exercise at Long Marston and the Victim was a Conflat A.

The Pullman Rubbing plate has the right hand side faced with Railko NF21 a resin bonded composite material (non asbestos). Used a lot in the Rail industry, Centre pivot liners, Side bearer liners, Brake gear bushes etc. Also on coach ends

A string of TTA's. Not in fuel traffic by the look of the dark staining on the barrels. They have just pushed out of Dover Town Yard and are heading off for Dover Priory, then probably to Hoo Junction. Probably fuel oil for the ferries, unloaded in Bulwark Sidings. Fuel for locos arrived in normal Speedlink services, then tripped to Bulwark, the Dover Town Fuel Point, Chart Leacon. Not quite sure of the routing to Canterbury West.

It wont let me make Adobe my preferred program for PDF's, now my printer has disappeared, what is going on????

It's just turned my virus checker off and turned on windows defender..... Won't let me turn mine back on..... what the f**ks going on. Microsoft are losing points here...

I had the big update yesterday... Complete disaster today, boot up soooo slooooowwwww. It changed my search engine from Google to Bing without asking, took until now 18h31 to open Google Chrome..... Rubbish....

The brakes are my next job. I was thinking of finding some plastic tube of the right size to glue on, then use the 'ring' as a guide for the small drill. Probably easier said than done. Looking for some time over Christmas to do a bit of modelling. A random thought after a little shunting was to try and cut down the side play of the drivers. When shunting bunker first, it got buffer locked when propelling a couple of trucks from a straight onto a peco setrack curve, maybe asking too much... I thought I was knowledgeable regarding terriers, just keep finding out more and more.

Last week we had a trip to York. Hmmm where to go for 3 hours??? National Railway Museum got both our votes. What to see.... Boxhill is not in a public viewing area, but the staff took us to have a look. Very interesting as you can look at things easier than on a preserved line. Things to note were: Tank outer cover quite apparent, you can see the air gap near the water filler. Thickness of smokebox handrail, quite chunky. The boiler handrails are actually both tubes with operating rods inside.. More pictures on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/55938574@N03/albums/72157661790554210

Where do I get one?

Even the cat's impressed with the Terrier,

Just received my Early BR sound equipped Terrier. I set up my Roco DCC kit and had a test run. The Roco Locmaus has 4 functions, but it was great. Set up approx. 3 metres of Peco Setrack. When the throttle is opened up the loco chuffs off until you ease the controller back, It will then coast and as coming to a halt the brakes squeal most realistically. Functions 2 and 3 are a pip on the whistle and a longer toot. Function 4 opens the smokebox door and you hear coal being shovelled, the firebox glowing well. Very impressed. Even Linda took the helm.

Matt, I've just ordered some more parts. I have a long handrail, that should allow me to make a couple of smokebox handrails. My next task is a visit somewhere to get some paints to mix up a 'yellow' to patch up my '32635' Brighton Works.

I wonder how long it will be before someone manages a tractor with a loading bucket on the grind for sugar beet (or coal)

Just found this thread, spent last night and a bit of this morning reading through. Very impressive. In the 80's I had cause to visit Snowdown Colliery a few times and the buildings were well maintained, stuff was painted etc. It had 'that' look about it. I'm starting a 72" x 18" shunting layout in 7mm and recently found some point handles on ebay. Stripped out from Hornby points: They seem to have the flavour and the point handles shown in this thread seem to be very similar (If a bit more to scale). I'm planning to use the 'handle' part and position them at the front of the layout, semi buried into the scenery. Again, thanks for a very inspirational thread.

Congratulations on a thoroughly impressive model. I won't repeat the previous praise in case you head swells too much. You've captured it really nicely. This morning was the first time I've read through the whole thread. The time period chosen gives plenty of scope for variety. The section towards the tunnel was quite interesting. The Gangers Hut had its own siding with a trailing connection to the Down Main line. Used only under possession, it was clipped and padlocked for normal working. However it was unusual in that it was fitted with a point handle. The short siding housed small trolleys to allow easy access to the tunnel for essential works. There was also a short siding at the North end, again with a trailing connection, that for years housed a 'red carded' salmon, I wonder when that was removed? I worked 'The Papers' a few times and Sevenoaks was unusual in having its own platform, saved lugging the bundles of papers over the footbridge. The train was normally an ED, BSK, CCT (fitted with benches for the staff who sorted and bundled papers en-route) and three Van B's (8 wheelers) on the rear. Sevenoaks traincrew had the nickname '83 Squadron', from the headcode of the services via Bat and Ball. If I close my eyes I can smell a freshly painted EPB, especially if it had been left 'cut in', a warm quite pleasant smell. The 'New' trains don't have that real train smell. I've added it to my 'followed' list and look forward to the next episode.

As an aside, I have ordered spare parts for long term maintenance.... Wheel Bearings, Conrod bolts and Plastic Gears, Also ordered some A1X brakework to convert from Wooden Blocks. oHas anyone taken the wheels out and separated the plastic side frames. If not an enormous work up I might take mine apart to re-drill the holes for the wooden to metal brake blocks conversion. If anyone wants a set of plastic blocked brakework let me know..

Just spent this evening checking out the buffer scenario in various books. Oh dear I was in a quandary!!!. The point of using Brighton was to save on the intricacies of the LBSC lining etc. I knew some touching up would be required. I'd just spent time making the smokeboxes fit the others footplate. Now the buffer heights are wrong........ No options, off came the cabs and they were swapped over, quite easy. The lower pipes on Brightons Westinghouse pump wouldn't come out of the footplate, no matter I was planning to swap them for copper wire of a suitable thickness. Here's the second iteration of Ds680.... Now 32635... So the "To Do" list. 32635: Swap the buffer shanks, to save lining them. Paint the footplate edge and line. Paint the splasher sides and touch up the tank and bunker sides. Fit Sand Boxes under footplate. Add boiler pipework etc. Ds680 I think it's mainly the pipework and a paint job. That will be enough to get them going.

Maybe a mystery is solved.... I had previously noted that the buffer heights on Terriers seemed to vary. Recent advice was that the change to working with Auto Coaches had been the reason for the change. In another really useful shot from Ian D Nolan, you can see a crescent shaped addition to the top of the casting, with what looks like the two lots of holes. Loads of other detail in this picture.. https://flic.kr/p/gzEiK8 ​