Downendian

Class 50 on ballast spoil? Certainly looks that way and a long rake of Grampus wagons. This is how I recall it arriving, into a siding and then wagons either reversed to the spoil tip or collected by the resident 08 (was once 09024 and one of Bath roads class 03s on at least one occasion. 50009 at Stoke Gifford (East of Bristol Parkway) on Sunday 17th July 1978, I was there, but not my photo, it was a copyright slide bought from eBay. Neil

Dave Terrific modelling, I still have one of my old class 24 body shells built from a Hornby 25 but with Craftsman bits. I may finish it sometime, your thread has given me the impetus to do it. Neil

I remember the Stoke Gifford tip well. There was always a class 08 there shunting grampus (and probably) tunny spoil wagons so pleased to see Rivercider's photo of it. It was a very difficult location to photograph by the general public as was locked on all sides by the South Wales and South West routes. Bath road class 25s very often delivered the spoil in the mid 1970s, but would like to see more photos if there are any out there. I've set aside a small section of my layout for a spoil tip to recreate these operations, so following this thread with interest. Neil

Chiffchaff singing happily away in the large bay tree at the bottom of the Devon garden this morning. I'm sure I heard one in Bristol over the weekend, so the summer influx well and truly here. Neil

Terrific stuff Phil. I know what you mean about taking scribers to £100 plus models, not done it yet personally. The hydraulics seemed to get more than their fair share of side swipes or weird creases due to the stressed skin construction. Neil

I agree Jonny, from memory I knew that D1009 was a late survivor. Neil

A few more recent eBay acquisitions of withdrawn locos at Laira. First two of D1070 Western Gauntlet, then one of D1009 Western Invader. Dates marked as 1975, will need to check withdrawal and to Swindon dates to be more accurate. Neil

Some steady progress with the large boiler SDJR 7F. The 19mm MR pattern smokebox door arrived from 247 developments a couple of weeks ago, unfortunately it was approximately 1.5mm too small in diameter. After extensive searching I've been unable to find a suitable white metal casting, so the only alternative is to build one myself. Having gone to all the trouble of deciding that the face of the Golden Arrow casting was let down by the smokebox door, I was not prepared to compromise with a slightly bigger but still too small door. So an hour of eBay searching I think I've come up with a suitable solution. I bought a 20.5mm dish type automotive core plug (the ones that pop out if the engine block freezes), and filed it carefully to reduce its thickness and to reduce the dishing a bit. The photo shows the crudely filed dish, still more work to do with more filing and smoothing with wet and dry but getting there. The door surround will be a 22.5mm thin polypropylene washer that I've primed in halfords red oxide primer to check it takes paint OK. With a large file I then removed the moulded smokebox door from the Golden Arrow boiler, and intend to fit it all together this weekend. The strap hinges, boiler surround brackets, and numberplate will then made with microstrip, and will need a lot of patience. Hopefully one of my drills will be sturdy enough to put handrail knobs into the stainless steel. The working prototype photo I'm using is from the excellent Mike Morant Collection http://mikemorant.smugmug.com/Trains-Railways-British-Isles/Miscellaneous/SDJR/i-mbDjGgJ/A Neil

Apparently very difficult to replicate with very few prototype photos, but I think the Bachmann version is a good attempt. Thread discussing this short lived livery here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/28526-br-engineers-gulf-red/ Heljan have done a dogfish in golf red in one of their triple packs. For early 1970s it would be heavily weathered as per the Paul Barlett photos in the thread above, but the fotopic links no longer work, you'd have to find them on his Zenfolio site. Neil

In the left hand photo in the Larkins book in my post the Tunny is apparently still in gulf red in 1968, and was painted in (taken from the legend) "post 1959 gulf red livery". P17 DW80817 is thus a candidate too as I'd quite like a vehicle in gulf red, all my engineering stock to date is either black or olive drab. Neil

Gardening and fence panel repair has put pay to my weekend modelling activities the past two weekends, but gradually gearing up to attack my wagon kit stockpile. I want to introduce a small rake of Herrings and mix my RTR dogfish wagons with a few catfish, plus will add a whale to my sealion rake. I am planning a small spoil tip on part of my layout as a representation of the area West of Stoke Gifford in the 1970s hyperactive with the 1975 PW workings on the HST upgrade from Westerleigh to Wootton Bassett. I recently acquired this Colin Ashby kit for the GWR P17/23 ballast wagons that may well have been active there- I can certainly remember and have photographic records of Grampus wagons and a photo of at least one train there appears to include a Tunny. Part of the enjoyment I find from the hobby is researching 1950s-1970s rolling stock, especially the huge amount of ancient stock still in service in the 70s. This kit will be started on soon and will probably become a P23 model, but with added door stops as seen in the excellent David Larkin book on civil engineers wagons, opened to the relevant pages. A bit of an interlude from my loco-centric work so far this year, so Gulf red or black for 1973/5? Neil

Just arrived home to find this large fellow clearing up the mess the Nuthatches made. A large colony of Greenfinches around as well, breeding plumage beginning to intensify. Neil

This one made me chuckle this lunch time. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35864702 It's a serious business choosing the name of a new multi million pound research vessel for the NERC. But don't use the Internet to make the choice. Front runner is "Boaty McBoatface" Neil

Wonderful memories Kevin, I spent many a Sunday afternoon in the 1970s cycling to STJ. Thanks for posting, hitting like for every post just didn't seem enough. The staff there were very helpful to us Bristol kids, and often would accept our requests for loco locations on TOPS. The place had a wonderful quietness with lines of silent locos on a Sunday. Those Sunday's have long since gone, quiet traffic and all the shops shut! Neil

An excellent resource for class 40 modellers here https://www.flickr.com/groups/90686983@N00/discuss/72157625726740402/ The GFYE 40 will most probably become 40 180 before she lost her boiler tanks and retained the frost grille. Neil

I saw that one too Tim. The terms "this train" and "coal carriage" give the game away, and the seller admits he knows nothing about model railways - especially prices in the real world. Neil

Quick update - eventually sprayed the yellow noses on one of my green new tooling Bachmann 40s, part of the backlog of GFYE conversions. These noses are a delight to work on as they readily detach and can be worked on off model. I drilled out the horn grilles and fitted Shawplan replacements, sprayed whilst still on the etch, ensuring no excessive paint build up and getting better angles with the airbrush. The 40 is awaiting renumbering and new decals - a large number of TOPS green candidates to choose from will be either 40 171/180 or 199 although I think from photos 199 had lost its totem. Will change the headcodes to Severn tunnel bound/ departed freights to work up the Newport-Hereford route. The Hawksworth BG got three coats of BR blue, and now awaiting the roof grey to be done, and the Cravens class 129 now has yellow ends but I forgot to add rainstrips absent from the DC kits model. Neil

Waiting for the wife to dry her hair, and then out shopping - a 5 minute visit for me to Halfords for more primer, but the trip will be considerably longer than that! Recycled from a previous incarnation of Rmweb Was it really 39 years ago- seems like yesterday. Here's the first Saturday 5th March 1977 Trip to the North-East Parkway 08 644, 45 034/077, 47 111/124/151/378, PWM 654 (Hauled by 45 034). Worcester 08 836, 25 253, 31 210, 50 003/042. Birmingham new street 08 536, 31 294, 45 036, 86 007/215/246/248, 87 006. Saltley 08 461/597, 25 038/125/173/177, 45 060, 47 234 En route Saltley-Burton 20 165/174 Burton on Trent 08 037/623, 20 001/185, 47 323. Derby Etches Park 08 142/462/885, 20 004/063/087/139/193, 25 307. Derby Station 45 138, 47 482. Sheffield Midland 08 538/879, 45 065/106 Masboro 37 089. York Station 08 169/705, 47 191/287/523, 55 003/007 York Depot 03 172, 08 006/171/245/249/388/540/559, 31 018/127/131/142/163/202/275/305/312/316, 40 049/147/156/161, 47 184/190/307/433/434/457/460/461/541/552/553 with 08 525 and 40 151 passing. Darlington depot 03 067/108, 08 003/053/059/071/159/161/167/268, 31 292/297, 37 001/004/080/153/163 with 40 169 passing. Thornaby depot 03 075/154/159, 08 087/174/211/212/251/310/373/510/608/770/772/775, 31 138/139/152/153/277/282/283/287/290/306, 37 002/006/008/010/013/015/016/055/056/067/069/072/074/079/117/119/160/161/164/165/193/198/200/212/219, 40 129, 47 052/287/291/309/363 Thornaby yard 08 215/389/632/860/864, ADB966509 Knottingley 08 206/305/309, 47 292/293/294/296/302/308/371/373/375 Sheffield station 45 029/036/150 Derby 45 122/127 Saltley 25 125/127/129. BNS 47 448/511, 85 023 This was a Merrymaker awayday excursion from Bristol to York, then we met the Inter-city railway society Thames Valley branch at York for a coach visit to Leeds and Healey Mills. For reasons best known to BR the permits for those sheds were not granted, and we travelled North to Darlington and Thornaby instead. I was enthralled by Thornaby - it was a weekend but there was no less than 25 class 37s on the depot! And I worry about the numbers of locos I have bought, and that depots may not look prototypical with large numbers of locos. At Knottingley we were not permitted to look inside the shed, but tantalisingly we were given the numbers of the 47s and a brand new 56 (why we weren't allowed inside) that were there. Two of the 47s were ones I needed, and never saw (I needed just four class 47s to "clear" when I packed it all in 1979, quite an achievement I thought). I remember depot security, especially where the 56s were located, was quite tight- allegedly because some lads had driven two brand new 56s down to a local colliery from Coalville. I've never verified if this were true, and may be urban myth, but the thought of BR losing two brand new 56s caused a bit of amusement at the time - the keys were allegedly left in the ignition!!

It should be restored now! Neil

That may have been me Jonny - it was in the deleted posts list, with a message stating that you wanted it deleted, so unintentional! Feel free to post again. Neil

Without sound, will look to Howes I think. It's strictly mid 1970s and examples that went to Temple Meads in that era. I only once rode in one, operating the Stapleton road - Bristol parkway shuttle in 1975 when they were routine performers. The shuttle was in operation because the South Wales line was shut from Wootton-Bassett to Westerleigh junction for the HST upgrade. Neil

Well the resistance has finally cracked and I've bought a blue 2H. I'll be looking at the centre car options so if anyone that has done this, their methods will be duly copied! Whatever agreement Bachmann have with Kernow maybe reaching the end of an unknown timescale, and perhaps a RTR centre car is looking more of a reality now. Neil

Some recent transits through the workbench, awaiting a dental appointment later this morning so quick photo. First is a Hornby Hawksworth BG which will be resprayed in blue. Gangways and rain strips pared off to leave small strips above the doors as prototypical for the now preserved W333, which I saw at Swindon works in May 1979. I declined to strip the factory paint, intending to lose the blood/custard joint line with T-cut and a smear of filler - but it's still visible! Never mind, live and learn. I have two further models to do and stripping will be the way there. Behind that is a DC kits Cravens parcels unit, which I've yet to decide the powering options. I've managed to source a replica power bogie, but that is saved for either a 120 or 119 kit I will start soon. In the background is the first of my Resprayed Dapol blue 22s, which will become D6327. Unfortunately I made the mistake of using Maskol to mask the glazing and it reacted with some of them, awaiting replacements from DCC supplies who are currently out of stock. Another two blue 22s to do, one may donate it's glazing units. Neil