john dew

I agree with you that one would look odd so a rake it would have to be.......same cost as a loco and that's before the price of a load. The QLR is a neat looking model....not seen it before. Not sure how many Command/signals lorries were allocated per division.....MIB will know. Generally though I wonder if wheeled vehicles were routinely moved on rail transporters rather than under their own power in convoys? Trouble is there don't appear to be any 1/76 RTR tracked vehicles available John

Hi Firstly, thank you for all the trouble you took to post all those photos on the other thread. I found them really helpful. You mention removing the "moulded number plates". I will be renumbering mine so any advice you can give about the most effective way of doing this will be much appreciated. I was hoping I could just prise them off but I guess from your description that will not be possible Thanks again for all the photos John

Hi Robin From your recent status update and other hints, I am guessing you are thinking of adding some Hattons Warwells to Brent? I must admit they do look rather interesting. A perfect time stamp for our period. I was trying to work out the most appropriate load......Hattons make a few suggestions of Airfix kits but it's a fairly limited selection......Cromwells and Sherman's seem a bit dated for 1947.....Centurions would be perfect but the Airfix kit isn't available. Had you anything in mind? Regards

Thanks Andy and Mike, as always, both informative and useful. I had thought that the lamp central on the buffer beam was primarily post nationalisation but more recently I have .got the sense that it also happened in GWR days as well. Your posts tend to confirm that. From photos I have seen, it would appear that this "short cut" was not confined to auto trains but also appeared on BSet working. Which is good news because while the white light on a loco propelling an autocoach is an irritant it is, to my mind, nowhere near as bad as the double lamping I exposed on my shot of the 58xx. Having the lamps on the buffer beam is much less obvious. I guess the question I posed "which is the greater sin" was somewhat rhetorical. On Granby I have all my locos allocated with specific head codes. It gets a bit messy when something has to be reallocated*....I can never make up my mind which is the most suitable loco to be the station pilot! All in all though I think its the best compromise.....no train runs without the correct code and a red lamp on the rear coach/van.......and I just turn a blind eye to all the light engines moving on and off shed. *Having seen Robin's experiment on ANTB a trial of modelu3d lamps is high on my priority list Best wishes from Vancouver

Hi John Thank you for your good wishes and your kind remarks about Granby........from you that is praise indeed. I must say I do admire your energy in redeveloping Hintock......you put me to shame......I have some dodgy track on the branch line which I have been muttering about replacing for almost 6 months.....and keep putting off. Perhaps your example will motivate me to actually getting on with it! Best wishes John

You are always good for morale Tinker....thank you. 5 quality pages by Xmas seems like a modest attainable target. Actually I am semi vertical......its so hot here that a high proportion of my time seems to be spent reclining with a cooling libation.....and then there is the Rugby of course although the first test was rather disappointing Best wishes John

It was surprising how many little parcels got delivered to assorted surprised relatives........all those little items where the postage to Canada would be greater than the order cost, a few pots of GWR paint and surprisingly some buffers from a supplier whose insurer forbade any transactions whatsoever with North America. I actually had to get a friend buy these for me! I guess its fear of consumer litigation rather than transit claims. I sympathise with the vendor but it does feel a bit wierd......wild west and all that! Best wishes John

Almost two months since my last post........thats pretty bad even for me .........This week I joined with Robin and his many followers in celebrating 1000 pages on ANTB. 1000 pages....the mind boggles....I seem to average 3 a year! Last month I celebrated what is deemed to be a significant birthday. At this rate the telegram from the Queen (or King Charles) for an even more significant birthday will arrive long before Granby reaches 100 pages Semblance of excuse......Wife, daughter and two grand daughters spent the month of May in the UK leaving me to look after the garden and dogs....not much time for modelling. The day after they came home I went down with a really vicious flu virus.....only got out of bed last week......not fun at all. I did get some stuff done however. Here is 5801.......kadees apart.....straight out of the box with rather bland factory weathering I couldnt get the roof off 1407 but managed it this time to put the crew in. You have to remove the LH cab roof hand rail.......its quite loose fitting and very losable.......fortunately it was easy to replicate a replacement. Very impressive backhead detail.......although in truth with crew and the roof on very little is visible On Cynwyd shed with crew, fire irons, coal, hopefully more realistic weathering and of course head lamps. I have never worked out which is worse........working a train without head lamps or photographs highlighting them fore and aft. I guess more careful choice of camera angle helps I havent photographed the low level branch for a while. The Mold autotrain drifts into Cynwyd propelled by 1407 ,being pushed out of the station by 1407 while 5801 and the B Set for Granby wait in the bay. The only thing missing from such an iconic GWR branch scene is a Dean Goods, in the distance, shunting the yard. Hopefully not long to wait now. The really good news is that the running performance of both locos has improved so much that I can now schedule them on the branch turns (where they belong) rather than the safer, more conservative, out and back runs on the main line The Mold auto shuffle involves running on very shallow hidden lines under the main engine shed......stalls are an absolute no no........ recovery with a hook and pole is no fun at all. Its great to be able to have 1407 run this on its own power without having to be hardwired to autocoach The B Set routine involves a run around at Cynwyd and a Loco exchange at Granby......all automatic. RR&Co does everything based on time and distance calculations......a stall or even a momentary hesitation screws all this up ......so I am a very happy camper that 5801 passes the test I didnt originally order etched plates for 5801 but there is no doubt they look so much better......I knew there was a good reason for the family going to England!.............just need a little more weathering The Hattons/DJM 14xx project attracted a lot of negative comment, the repetitive nature of which I, for one, found rather distasteful. Happy to see all the various "gates" appear to have quietened down now and I can only assume there are many other satisfied customers enjoying this exquisite model . Sure its not perfect.....hopefully the recessed number plate will not be repeated, I was disappointed with the weathering and they really should clean the wheels..... but all in all its a lovely model and I am thoroughly enjoying running them on Granby Best wishes from Vancouver

Seen near Wrexham in 1947 No I cannot tell a lie....Western Canada 2017 earlier today That there is genuine Canadian dust......its still on the weathering line but at least now has engraved plates and the route indicator is correct colour and in right location. Rob I do like your 14xx photos......you seem to be using the loco a lot. I am guessing you are as happy as I am with its running performance? I have found the more I use them the better they seem to run. Best wishes

I agree that it's best to have a few of each Kadee# on hand so you can play horses for courses. it doesn't work trying to standardize on just one size. Any reason why #19 is omitted from the list.....I find it more useful than #20. I do enjoy your thread....I missed my daily read, along with ANTB, when you went briefly to the other side Best wishes from Vancouver

The use of "admonished" is ,perhaps, another indication of the influence the military had in the early development and management of railways Admonished is (was?) the lowest penalty one could be given in military law......it didn't even go on your record....it then advanced through reprimand......severe reprimand.....to more serious stuff. Admonished was often awarded when the officer judging felt that the charge should never have been brought in the first place.......but did not wish to undermine the authority of the (often newly promoted) NCO who had brought it. More useless trivia from a very old soldier

Thats very intriguing Mike.........I wonder why the GWR would market the IOM specifically......did they have a financial interest in the Steam Packet Co? Now I come to think of it I have a vague recollection the LMS may have had a financial connection (ownership?) with the Belfast and possibly Dublin equivalents. Out of interest I checked the 1947 Summer Timetable and there is still the 9.10 am departure from Paddington but now it arrives at Birkenhead Woodside at 3.05pm ! Over an hour later than 1929. This listing shows only the one stop between London and Birkenhead.....at Chester 2.24pm. Liverpool Landing Stage is also listed, in a separate section, as the terminus for the 9.10 am from Paddington but via Wellington, Shrewsbury and Wrexham (alias Granby) with no mention of Chester.........or the IoM .Assuming that one train leaves Paddington does this mean the Liverpool Coaches would be detached at Wellington? All very puzzling although one clear conclusion...I need to change the coach boards on my London train! My apologies Robin .....yet again I have strayed a long way from Devon......I hope that isnt a naughty step for geriatric Scousers?

I found the amount of dirt quite astonishing. Both of my locos are continueing to improve the more I run them. I have moved both off the "roundy roundy " nursery slopes and 5801 is doing quite complex automatic loco exchanges without too much supervision. Good luck on the test track.....let us know how it goes Almost satisfied in Vancouver! John

I think the " boat connection" was a ferry across the Mersey to the Landing Stage at Liverpool Pier Head . All the passenger vessels left from there. Ocean going Liners and ferries to Belfast and Dublin as well as the Isle of Man. The Landing Stage Liverpool was listed as the Terminus on some of the 1947 timetables.

What a great idea......I have lost count of the number of times I have knocked the boards off my signals ( and they are all fixed) Regards John

You rarely get breaking news from me.......particularly in this case where the two models I ordered were from the last batch. 4017 and 5018 duly arrived in Vancouver last week and in fact made the trip from Liverpool in record time. I wasnt overly concerned about the various "detail gate" debates but I did worry about the indifferent running reports. Fortunately both of mine, after some initial alarms, are now running satisfactorily. The wheels were very dirty and required a thorough clean ....not something I am used to with a new loco. I used Lenz Gold Mini decoders. Performance was very poor with default CV settings but once tweaked improved dramatically and encouragingly continues to improve the more I run them There is more detail in my layout thread http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/2773-granby-junction-00-gwrlms-1947/page-24&do=findComment&comment=2709593 but here a few photos of 4807 renumbered........and yes the surface mounted plates look much better than the recessed ones......new plates are on the way for 5018

Hi Andy Glad you and Tinker approve of the weathering. I am still at the bottom of a learning curve in terms of introducing subtle realism rather than dumping an overall coat of dirty black. It does seem that the more I run the 14xxs the more reliable they become. My bench mark are the 57xx and I use them for all the complex routines......RR&Co works on a time and distance calculation based on the moment the loco enters the detected block. Even a momentary stutter, rather than an absolute stop, will screw up these calculations resulting in the loco stopping just before it reaches the coupling/uncoupling point. The 14xxs are just on nursery routes for now but I have ambitions for them in time! Interestingly my 64xx is nowhere near as reliable as the 57xx......it needed a lot of adjustment to the wipers After all the advice and help you gave me with the Halls I was afraid that you would think I had pushed them to one side. I have actually made a lot of progress....all bar one, Colston Hall, have now been renamed.......all bar the modified Hall have lost their lining....I even have a black one (to be viewed at a distance). I just need to hone my weathering skills before showing them to the world. Best Wishes John

Its been a busy 2 weeks, starting with a successful operation on my right eye. I had no real understanding of how much effect the cataracts had on my appreciation of light and colour. Suddenly the world has become a much brighter place http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_lol.gif. The downside of near perfect distance vision is that my uncorrected near sight is not great. I have to wait until June before I can go to the Optometrists and get glasses sorted meantime I have to make do with $30 drug store reading glasses. My apologies for some (or all http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_redface.gif) of the photos........I finally had to edit them from a distance of 24" without glasses Regular readers may recall that back in January I realised my Halls were in the wrong livery for 1948 and were far too pristine. I thought it prudent to practise on some Panniers first: Very pristine........the only dust has come naturally and there isnt much of that because these guys, like the prototype, are powerful,super reliable and consequently worked hard. I have been meaning to correct the power/route indicators for a while. During WWII an instruction was issued to move them to just above the number plate.......I assume to minimise torches flashing about during the blackout. Furthermore Panniers were only re-classified from blue to yellow by British Railways in 1950. Trivial, I know, but it must be the military in me....incorrect rank badges jar http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_lol.gif Both locos have discs changed, hand rails painted green and etched plates added. Previously I have only added etched plates when forced to re number but they look so much better that I bit the bullet and invested almost two months modelling money in etched plates for a lot of locos! The right hand loco represents my attempt at "light weathering" . A little Vallejo weathering paint but mostly Humbrol weathering powder......a mix of Earth/Sand/Rust below the footplate and Smoke/Black above. The Pannier weathering and Loco re plating operation came to a rather abrupt halt last week with this new arrival: One of two eagerly awaited 14xx variants from Hattons. This is 5801 in green .....lightly weathered. http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_eek.gif Not a great photo but I am afraid this is not my conception of light weathering. It seems to have been subjected to an overall spray of gunk and lacks subtlety. A disappointing start.....however on the plus side the model itself is exquisite with masses of superb detail. There has been much adverse comment about these models....missing Ash Pan,recessed number plate, oversize (1mm+-) driving wheels etc did not overly concern me, however reported indifferent erratic running performance, particularly on DCC, was a major concern for me. Both ran well on the very short DC track and then spent a couple of hours on the DC rolling road. Fitting decoders ( Lenz mini gold from a German box shifter) into the boiler space was straightforward.......removable smoke box door, held in place by magnets......very ingenious. I had heard they ran well with the default CV settings. Not with me......it was pretty disastrous and I was very close to putting them in their boxes and back to Liverpool. Lots of stop/ start and evidence of what I call hunting (cogging?) . They are very sensitive to the slightest speck of dirt or any badly laid track. I have some iffy track on the branch which the Panniers and Prairies handle ok.......these locos did not. Things got better when I thoroughly cleaned all the wheels......not something I normally do with a brand new loco.....these were filthy....perhaps a residue of the weathering spray? Things got even better when I adjusted the CV 5 (max speed) to 100 giving a scale speed of 25 mph (which is all I need) and CV 6 (mid point) at 70 which gives a nice smooth concave speed curve. Basically 20 of the 28 speed steps are used getting from rest to 12 mph. Result......very impressive slow, smooth, acceleration and no hunting.......with the caveat .....on clean well laid track. So I put the boxes away and decided to add some detail and make the weathering more realistic The second loco is in GWR war time black (a must have for Granby).....again "lightly weathered" to which I have brushed on additional Humbrol powders.......I tried to buff up the firebox a bit........suggestions/ comments much appreciated.....is the run off from the wash out plugs and tank filler ok or a bit over done? The loco is sold as 4807 but, as GWR fans will know, the 48xx numbering sequence was reallocated in 1946 to the Hall oil fired experiment. Thus the auto fitted 0-4-2 Ts became 14xx. The new etched plate (which does need weathering) fitted straight over the original recessed one. To me it looks much better so I have ordered new plates for 5801 Real coal (Canadian not Welsh I am afraid http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_cry.gif) . Token fire Iron...more to come. The Kadee hides the added ATC detail. Its a standard #18 but I have ordered some 17#s which will be better The cab doors actually open. I couldnt get the roof off as per the instructions but the fireman was inserted the old fashioned way with tweezers round his neck The new 14 on the buffer beam needs to be toned down a bit more. No driver because 1407 will be permanently sandwiched between the two autotrains that shuttle between Granby and Ellesmere It now runs this computor operated shuttle over both the storage and Granby point throat without any trouble. The Bachmann 64xx which used to do this has now been promoted to the second autotrain which shuttles on the lower level branch. There are a couple of bits of dodgy track there which I hope to replace so that eventually 1407 can run there also. In summary.........if its destined for the display case (a shelf queen in Oz) its undoubtedly a superb model and a "must have" although I probably wouldnt go for the weathered options. If its going to earn its keep on the track.........the said track has to be spotless and if you are operating DCC you will need a degree of patience but once sorted its a delight to operate. Now I need to get 5801 sorted for duty Sorry for the lengthy post......but hope you enjoyed it and please do critique the weathering I am very much in learning mode.

Is that a banner repeater next to the signal? That could be a clue.

So why are you wasting time on my ramblings?

All this drama while you guys are sound asleep. I answered my own question.......now all I have to do is find the number plate I impetuously prised off Who said prudence and caution comes with old age Sorry to clutter your thread Robin......I am not normally so verbose and I havent even had my pre-dinner glass of Chateau Plonk

Thought I had better check the Hattons site........5801 is described as BR green with GWR lettering.......hence the smoke box number plate! Now I vaguely remember querying this way back when it was first announced...........although I am still confused about the description.......I will dig back and try and find my original post...........anyone know how soon after nationalisation these plates were fixed on older locos?

Just received mine.........thats pretty good service from Royal Mail and Canada Post. 12 days from Liverpool to Vancouver! To my relief both are running well on the DC rolling road. Cant wait to test them with decoder fitted on my somewhat iffy branch track.

Hats off to Royal Mail and Canada Post........arrived 12.30! Sorry about the industrial background......although it is Granby......I only have a tiny bit of DC track crammed in above the work bench. I generally run in on DC before fitting the decoder but felt it was mandatory in this case because of the iffy reports. Happily both (5801 is waiting its turn) appear to run smoothly.........cant wait to test them on my not very well laid branch track. First reactions are an exquisite model with all manner of delicate detail........not sure about the weathering......if this is "light" one wonders what the "heavy" option looks like........I will do some comparisons on my Granby thread. One point........ 5801 is green GWR but came with a number plate firmly fixed to the smoke box door.......that cant be right can it? All in all though I am a very happy camper John

Including travel Expenses?