Downendian

Well as I bought a discounted 24 081 on the basis of a preordered class 33 double pack, I'd be more than happy if Phil were to do this. Realistically though, as the SLW class 24 chassis already has cut outs for 25/2 engineroom windows, I'd wager a large bottle of malt they will be coming, so I can retire my Bachmann fleet. 24 081 and a sound chipped 24 063 are the flagships of my diesel fleet. Neil

Good news thanks Phil. I'll certainly be adding two more, I've already resprayed an awful blue FYE to BSYP, and was gearing up to do a GYFE, won't bother now. Great to have models from the later batch. Also I hope to see some more spares, getting the windows out for a respray was a pig, and broke a couple. Spraying to a more realistic blue is well worth the effort though. Neil

Yes BR blue one, but D1018 went in 1973, before the West Ealing crash so never had the yellow battery box clips fitted. As one of the D1017-1020 batch that was never dual brake fitted, air brake pipes should be absent. D1018 was in a bit of a shocking state in her later years and ran about minus a nameplate on one side for a while. It actually was in blue, but had almost the same amount of maroon showing through. All preserved Westerns should have Talisman clips. Neil

D1018 arrived today, Shawplan Buccaneer plates not fitted, probably just as well as the model has Talisman clips, incorrect for D1018. No worry, for £75 will change identity to a 1975-77 survivor. Excellent value of course. Neil

I'm not Gwiwer, I don't have 74 yet Having just returned from the pub, browsing this thread is a bad idea. I think you can guess the outcome. Neil

I'd seen them advertised by Hattons, so it's possible it's just from them. Still odd that the multipacks all have the same Esso number. Neil

I'm intrigued as to why Heljan are selling four packs all with the same Esso number. Surely it would make more sense to have four different? The airfix version was the very first railway kit I'd built, ca 1975 complete with wobbly chassis, long since landfill. I'm looking to buy a few of these. Neil

Thanks Paul, I know the BRdatabase site has errors, for example from memory I recall 08 005 spent some time at Chester, but as you say a good starting point. Thanks for the link to the Shed by Shed books, I've just ordered numbers 7 and 8 covering the 1970s. Neil

I've been doing a similar exercise. My pre-TOPs one will be Bath road based ca 1970, favourite candidate is D3002, eventually sold to Foster Yeoman This is a cracker of a website for all BR allocation history http://www.brdatabase.info/locoqry.php?action=class&id=8&type=D&page=alloc Neil

Hi Filtonjuncktion I was on both of those ICRS trips in 1976, so we were on the same coach. Was struck by the lines of scrapped 24s at Millerhill on the November 76 trip. I have some crummy photos of that day which have been posted before. Neil

Nice work, I have one of these to build, will follow this thread with interest. Neil

Note the smaller rectangular ventilation grille on D1039, which made her unique. Compare to Jonny's photo of D1056 a few posts up. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/95191-neils-hydraulic-pics/?p=2419407 Neil

A much more modestly priced £12 for this one. Not the best of scans, the original slide is better than this Lo-res photo. D1039 Western King at Reading 1971-3, a rare shot in BR blue. Neil

I'm still quietly accruing hydraulic slides. One I've recently bid on, but will not continue D1001 at Plymouth, a very nice slide. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=371779026845 But £156! That's the highest price I've ever seen for a Western copyright slide. Neil

I've just been looking up where I'd seen D3045, Dapol's choice for its new O gauge class 08, and it was seen with pre-TOPs number at Glasgow works on 20/11/76. In the same archived RMweb thread I found this posting from me - good grief was it really 41 years ago today - it seems now a different age, but very fresh in the memory. sadly most locos long gone, as well as those huge railway centres of the prime of the diesel era. Saturday 8th November 1975 was my first foray into Scotland, at the ripe old age of just 14. I went with an 11 year old friend- would this be possible today!? BR ran "Merrymaker" tours (Adex or advertised excursions), of which the Edinburgh special (known as the "Eds") from Bristol was always fully booked. They ran the service twice a year in April and November. All of this for the princely sum of £8! The train left Bristol at 0630 travelled up via the WCML and had three locomotives- Bristol to Brum and then an electric to Carstairs and if we were lucky a 40 to Edinburgh (on one occasion we even had a Deltic Edinburgh to Carstairs!). This trip was a "home brew" as it was the first, I'd written off for permits for Haymarket and Eastfield and we were to hot foot it and get round Haymarket and then off to Glasgow for the magnificent shed at Eastfield. Outbound we were hauled by 46 047 from Bristol to Birmingham, an 86 (can't decipher which one) from Birmingham to Carstairs, and 40 066 from Carstairs to Edinburgh Waverley. Highlight of the trip up - Crewe was always magnificent and the environs of the station and Crewe diesel depot contained the following 08 112, 08 205, 08 913, 24 025, 24 026, 24 031, 24 033, 24 034, 24 038, 24 040, 24 076, 24 086, 24 091, 24 099, 24 137, 24 146, 25 326, 40 121, 47 251, 47 348, 50 010, 50 041, 85 031, 86 005, 86 207, 86 236, 86 247. Soon the rows of 24s at Crewe - its trademark at the weekend would be a thing of the past. Carlisle Kingmoor yard had several rows of recently withdrawn ScR class 24s - 24 001, 24 002, 24 004, 24 010, 24 011, 24 013, 24 014, 24 017, 24 019, 24 066, 24 072, 24 073, 24 090, 24 097, 24 105, 24 148. Hauled by Push-pull 27s to Haymarket 27 111 and 27 203 Haymarket was host to 08 246, 08 247, 08 565, 08 720, 08 722, 08 789 20 179 24 125, 24 130, 24 147 25 029, 25 091, 25 229 26 014, 26 017 27 103, 27 209, 27 212, 31 225 40 060, 40 062, 40 063, 40 087, 40 089, 40 150, 40 167, 40 168, 47 274, 47 466, 47, 470, 47 552 55 006 To Glasgow Queen street by another pair of 27s, to Queen street low level and by class 303 EMU to Springburn Eastfield in semi darkness 06 003 08 227, 08 346, 08 348, 08 421, 08 566, 08 738, 08 753, 08 754, 08 755, 08 952 8539 (derelict Clayton being used for re-railing exercises) 20 017, 20 019, 20 046, 20 048, 20 079, 20 106, 20 114, 20 119, 20 121, 20 125, 20 137, 24 006, 24 009 ( both withdrawn), 24 127, 24 128, 24 129, 24 132, 25 006, 25 014, 25 059, 25 092, 25 240, 25 246, 26 011, 26 033, 26 035 27 005, 27 010, 27 011, 27 014, 27 017-021, 27 026, 27 027, 27 028, 27 032, 27 033, 27 035, 27 043, 27 044, 27 206 37 144, 37 151, 37 204 40 064, 40 068, 40 072, 40 163 47 053, 47 268 Hauled back to Edinburgh by 27 110 and 27 106 Edinburgh-Carstairs by 40 066 again Carstairs to Birmingham by 86 006 and home by either 47 074 or 079 Home about 2.30 am exhausted and deliriously happy , seeing my first 26s and 27s and a huge number of 24s in a single day - any wonder why I'm such a nostalgic old fool- look at the numbers of locos and variety on the depots. Nothing compared to the steam era- but a classic time for BR diesels, very happy days!

My blue unnumbered has just been dispatched from Hattons. Now to get some track for it! Neil

I've been after a 33/1 to go with my 4-TC build (I may stretch to a Kernow one, but a home brew one is on the cards). I've been watching for them (33/1s) on eBay, but rather amazed by the price Rails are asking for this class 33, minus front glazing, buffers and looking like it's had a major disagreement with its previous owner. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Heljan-OO-GAUGE-3310-CLASS-33-D6553-BR-GREEN-DIESEL-LOCOMOTIVE-DCC-3O-/131847655670?hash=item1eb2bb90f6 For just a shade under a fiver more, I relented and bought a new one from Hattons. Hattons do good secondhand bargains, Rails could learn a thing or two, as they aren't first choice for my new buys because of this sort of excessive pricing. I especially enjoy picking up cheap "needs attention" bargains from eBay, and rectify, but this is not in that class and in wide berth territory. Doesn't anyone else rapidly move along from this type of listing in case the fat fingers accidently press the "buy it now" button? This is one of them. Neil

Not posted here for a while - a smile and laugh generated. Neil

Lots of fond memories of 37s from South Wales in Bristol. The 4E70 Danygraig-Stratford freightliner had a 37 on banking duties with normally a 47 or sometimes a Western up back. The 37 would detach at Parkway and roar off LE back to STJ. The racket those used to make coming up Patchway bank will live with me forever. 37s also on Coke trains to Avonmouth, with often a brake tender in tow, trains of a bygone era. I also fondly remember the triple header iron ore trains to Llanwern, and the Highbridge fly ash trains previously mentioned. Split box 37s were very rare in Bristol but occasionally turned up on services from immingham to Avonmouth, tanks with smelly caustic nasties. So no one special train, just dirty run of the mill South Wales Engos for me with classic 1970s freight wagons before their fancy liveries started appearing, and there was just two generic types, split or central headcode. Neil

56036 went large logo in late 1978, caused quite a stir amongst the sea of blue full yellow ends. I don't recall exactly when she was painted, but I remember seeing it in December that year at Coalville. Neil

Another project (number 6 on the to do list) that was worked on this weekend is the Hornby Hymek detailing project. I've used up some spare Heljan chassis parts (boiler tanks and bogie side frames), and fettled the Hornby body to fit the spare Heljan chassis. It does almost perfectly, save needing to carve off two internal strengthening struts that ensured the Hornby body grabbed the rather rudimentary chassis. If you remember, this was my 1974 birthday present, which I could not part with. The Hornby shell has reprofiled windows, cab roof area, added marker lights and is sprayed in primer to highlight any imperfections. I'm really pleased with the quality of the old Tri-ang/Hornby shell, all those play worn scratches have now gone. I've still to put in some work on the roof, allowing the boilers and maybach to breathe and a Shawplan scavenger fan etch. It will become D7029, the first Hymek I recorded in my notebook in July 1974 storming through Bristol parkway from South Wales towards London with a parcels train. The model in the foreground is of course an out of the box Heljan model for comparison. I'm pleased that Heljan have released new Hymeks, which should mean that spares should be imminent. I've picked up more Heljan chassis- actually the class 26/27/33 chassis can be easily modified to a Hymek chassis as it has the same wheelbase. Don't throw those old Hornby shells away- with increasing costs of new models, revamped old models still can be made into something worthy of the prototype. Plus of course it's huge fun seeing the classic lines of a Hymek emerge from an old and favourite toy as the project progressed. Neil

I've collected quite a few class 22s copyright photos, and tracked a lot down that are on line. Singleton class 22 (NBL type 2s in old money) operated many diagrams from Bath road including trips to Stoke Gifford and the Fry's factory at Keynsham. I've also seen a photo of a solitary machine at Severn tunnel junction, and they did work demolition trains on the S&D. Many also worked as single units in the Forest of Dean and around Worcester.The class 22s consistently got bad press for their reliability, but the fact was in the mid 1960s their reliability was better than many of their diesel electric sisters. Indeed at the time they were just as reliable as their eventual class 25 replacements (source Modern locomotives illustrated). Edit one such trip Stoke Gifford - West depot https://flic.kr/p/9kvR38 Neil

Updates to the oyster build. Scruffy gulf (engineers) red has appeared, decals applied, some weathering done, still more needed. Handrails, couplings and pipework to be done but has progressed this weekend. Neil

I've been tardy in updating this thread, but it's not due to a lack of modelling I can assure you. Rather than start a large number of new projects the line is now to complete them one at a time (best plans etc, but I'll try and stick to it). I'm building a rake of catfish/dogfish in mixed gulf red and black liveries from the excellent Cambrian stable, as well as some Herrings. To add the icing on the cake so to speak is a ballast brake bringing up the rear. Rather than just add another RTR Shark, I decided to shamelessly copy Jim Smith-Wright's Brettel road oyster, which has a longer cabin and shorter verandas and different W irons and running boards compared to the derived shark. Microstrip and scalpels were taken to the Cambrian kit, and whilst I don't have Jim's finesse (I had to fill the cabin sides with milliput, sand flat and scribe in the planks again) I'm fairly pleased with it. Full credit to Jim for his method is here http://www.p4newstreet.com/the-origin-of-species.html Mine is again fitted with MJT W irons, and unlike the Brettel road model has footboards as per 1970s oysters. The prototype this will be based on, in gulf red livery, is found at Paul Bartlett's excellent zenfolio resource http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/oyster/hE6F13EA#he6f13ea The eagle eyed among you will spot that the roof and chassis have yet to be fitted as are the ploughs and associated handwheels in the cabins, I've pencilled lines where the handrails need to go. All is in primer except the chassis, and Halfords red oxide primer is a pretty good match to Paul's photo in my eyes so I may not bother with a Phoenix top coat of gulf red. It's taken many hours as a relative novice kit builder, but extremely enjoyable - I have a further ten or so wagons of Parkside and Cambrian origins on the go, and really fun and easy to put together they are too (well I needed two pairs of hands with the Parkside 21T rebodied hoppers but that's another story). I've just received another Csmbrian shark today, and a black liveried oyster will join her sister for the Herring rake. Neil

Thanks Andy. I did just that and contacted Hattons. They've advised to return the errant end - which is out of warranty - and they will repair. In my situation they cannot do better than that, so I'm impressed with the quick response to my concerns. Will post next week when I'm back in Bristol. Neil