TheSignalEngineer

There was one but like so many other things the Railtrack T***s with no railway knowledge brought in from other places by the government to show us how to do things better at the time of privvytisation threw it away. (Political Rant Over)

This post shows standard location cases and typical arrangements used from the early 1970s to around the time of privatisation. The standard metric troughing sizes are shown here, basically they were a rounding of the old imperial sizes to convenient millimetre equivalents. . https://www.unipartrail.com/WebPDF/StockPDF/Concrete Troughing.pdf

Kingswear was actually Hatched Red so could take Kings. In my own area of interest the Swan Village line was shown as Dotted Blue but in the years after it was transferred to the LMR it often saw Red engines. The Bumble Hole between Old Hill and Blowers Green was Dotted Red, despite being normally used by Flying Bananas, autotrains and Pannier Tanks into Withymoor Basin. It formed an alternative route between Handsworth Junction and Priestfield so saw Castles on expresses diverted due to engineering works on the line through Wednesbury.

Bushbury's Jubilees were displaced partly by Scots as the Type 4s started coming to the LMR c1959. Long-term residents I particularly remember seeing regularly on London trains in the late 1950s were 45647/88, 45709/33/34/37/38/41/42.

In the 1950s trains from New Street were normally worked by Bushbury Jubilees. Most trains through there were well within the capabilities of a Black 5 except for the Glasgow /Edinburgh train which usually had a Scot to Crewe and a Stanier Pacific forward from there.The morning down train was often an LMS or SR diesel returning early afternoon. In later years it was often a Stanier Pacific or a Willesden Brit. During the electrification time they went via Northampton, taking up to three hours One down service then terminated at New Street, ECS to Kings Norton and loco to Aston for turning and perp for return. Gradually as Electrification spread they were taken over by EE Type 4s.

They could pull quite a lot, but I wouldn't fancy trying to control one down to hopper loading speed or draw one up a wagon length at a time.

The 57xx were not for pushing auto trains, unless you are down The Bumble Hole.

I find road transport as big a problem to research as the trains. Fortunately I found a reasonable model of a bus which worked in the area of my layout and wasn't scrapped until two years after my timeframe. I'm trying to keep the vehicles to ones on the road c1957 as they wouldn't have seemed out of place three or four years later. After all the paper mill close to where I now live still used steam tractors to move logs from the railway to the works as late as 1961.

My scenario is a bending of the history of the area of the Black Country covered by the South Staffs/LNWR and OWW/GWR. It covers a number of suggestions which were made around 1845 but never happened. The timeframe is c1957 to 1962, so early and late BR steam liveries plus an occasional diesel on a special or loan for crew training, strictly no yellow panels. As far as possible loco types are ones known to have visited the area, the regulars mainly numbered as ones allocated to Bescot, Monument Lane, Oxley, Tyseley and Stourbridge for part of that period. Usefully there were regular specials to Dudley Zoo particularly from the East Midlands so an occasional B1 or Brush 2 with Gresley and Thompson stock is permitted. Another useful place in the area was Stafford Road Works. Small locos from the whole of the GWR seemed to turn up there and often appeared on local trip workings for running-in purposes. Most regular passenger trains have three or four coaches of LMS or GWR origin. Local trains start with push-pull and progress to early DMUs. Dated holiday trains were often worked by two sets, one from each region, and it wasn't unknown for a set in SR green to turn up on a local working during the week. Freight stock reflects mainly the industries of the area and is mostly Big Four, ex-PO or 1950s BR. For parcels anything goes, plus GWR No.17, a Class 128 then when I get round to it a Class 129 kit to be built. Also in the to do box some donors to build the Palethorpes fleet. Infrastructure-wise little changed from c1954 to station closures in the mid 1960s except progressing from grotty to decrepit.

One with a number on the roof at Landor Street, 12 May 2019, I just found on Google Earth when looking for something completely different.

Just been on a bike ride round a place like that. One of my regular trips, at least ten times normal amount of people, big football and cricket games in the park, group horse and bike rides. Only thing we didn't find was an open pub, but wasn't really looking for one. No doubt I could have found one with a bit of effort.

Another couple of experiences from me tonight. I won't go into detail on the first as it got quite personal and still gives me the shivers but suffice it to say that the night before Dad died six of us were gathered in the room, taking turns to go out for a rest at various times. He was mostly sleeping until he quietly passed away the following morning. Suffice it to say that the paranormal activity in the room that night would have had the crew of 'Most Haunted' running for cover. There were at least three active spirits, everyone experiencing at least two of them. Fast forward five months. Daughter and her family had been on a day out. We were out bike riding when we had a call that they had been in an accident, were all unhurt but car written off. We raced back to our car and I dropped my wife and our gear at their house then went to rescue them. A large branch had fallen from an old oak tree and landed squarely across the car, right at the strongest part where the door pillars are. It had also hit a car on the other side of the road which helped to take some of the impact. Fortunately the only person in that car was also uninjured. I took SiL and the boys back home as they were going to a football match that evening. I went back and picked up daughter who had waited with her car for the recovery truck to come. On the way home she said that they saw the branch moving and accelerated which meant that it didn't hit the screen. She said that at the moment of impact she felt there was a fifth person in the car between the boys on the back seat. Eventually we got home and cleared up our stuff. Just before Dad died I had been successful in a ballot for a special edition of his favourite malt. Unfortunately he never got to taste it, arriving three months after he died. That night I decided to open it and poured myself a large measure and as I took the first sip I said 'Thanks for looking after the family today, pity you aren't here to share this with me'. I had locked up and as I turned in the hall I hit a patch of cold air at the bottom of the stairs despite it being a warm night after a sunny day. There was an overwhelming smell of the incense Dad used to burn in his thurible during the Communion service. I was shaking like a leaf when I got to the bedroom.

The standard livery 1949 to 1956 was Crimson and Cream for main line stock or plain Crimson for non-corridor stock. it is estimated that about 30% of ex-SR stock was still carrying pre-nationalisation liveries by 1956. The Pines was LMR 'A' stock so would normally have all been in Crimson and Cream until the 1956 liveries were introduced. I'm not sure if any stock in LMS or LNER livery went straight to Blood & Custard but anything not repainted since 1948 would more likely have been ready for scrapping by then.

Next installment of my stories. We didn't know much history about my wife's father other than he had left his family home and moved away, never to go back. After he died a few things started to come to light, not relevant to the ghost part of the story. We and my Sil both had regular visitations with a particular odour which was only to be found in one spot on each occasion it appeared. It was the same odour in both houses about 10 miles apart. After we moved to our present house about 100 miles away we still got the same occasional 'visitor' usually in the conservatory. On some occasions I got up in the morning to find the reading lamp in there switched on although it had been off when I locked up the previous evening. Finally our son cracked the mysteries of what happened during his family history research and neither we nor SiL have had a visit since.

I had two experiences like that. The first was when my favourite cousin, who was also godfather to our son, was killed in a road accident. Our son, then aged about five hero-worshipped him as he was brilliant at playing with trains and cars. All afternoon he was totally listless and we couldn't find out what was wrong with him. When we got home the phone was ringing with my sister frantically trying to contact us to tell us what had happened. Once we knew the news our son instantly became his usual self. A few years later I woke in the middle of the night knowing something was wrong with my uncle who was my godfather. We had always been close. It turned out that around the time I woke up he had a heart attack and had been rushed to hospital. On a different 'Friendly Spirit' tack, my grandfather was a keen gardener. During WW2, besides working on the railway and doing fire watching after hours at New Street he found time to work two allotments growing vegetables for his family and neighbours. On several occasions when I have been planting vegetables in my garden and the allotments we have had I have experienced the feeling that someone is there even though there isn't anyone in sight, then experienced a strong smell of cigarette smoke. I was born at his house and he was my role model and mentor growing up, even to the extent of working with him in the first year of my railway career. I'm sure he is still keeping an eye on me even now, just as my sister has feelings of being comforted by our grandmother at bad moments, even to the extent of feeling that someone is sitting next to her with an arm round her on one occasion.

i was on the unbeliever side but over the years several incidents made me think again. The first was a story from my Dad when he retired from his first career nearly 50 years ago and went to college. His room was one half of what had been the Bursar's Quarters for many years. The door between the study and bedroom had been bricked up when it was converted to two student rooms. There was some mystery about the demise of the last person to occupy the rooms before the alterations. It was reputed that he still walked the corridors many years after his passing. One night Dad was having trouble sleeping as he had some work to hand in and was not happy with one passage. About 2am he propped himself up in bed and switched on the reading lamp to re-read the offending paragraphs. After a few minutes he had pencilled in the changes he thought necessary and was just about to turn out the light when the room went ice cold and he saw a shadow enter the room through the wall where the old door had been, cross the room and pass through the door into the corridor without opening it. Since that time I have had several experiences which shifted my perception of the phenomena, including one where I was supposed to drive to a site meeting in South Wales. I had planned to visit a second site on the way back and come via a particular road which I had not previously travelled. I was feeling somewhat uneasy during the night before and woke floating above the road looking at a wrecked car in a field with the Air Ambulance alongside. At 8am I phoned to cancel the meeting, phoned in sick and stayed at home. That night when catching up with some news I saw an item about a serious RTA on the road I was intending to drive home on, with pictures of the car in the field and the Air Ambulance. Enough for now, more later.

Here in Glossop RM is a bit hit and miss but most things arriving on expected day albeit up to five hours later than normal. DPD running in front of app estimates, PF no estimate then turns up, DHL managed to deliver a parcel they said they never received a day earlier than promised. Bought models and kits from four smaller suppliers recently, all excellent service including one where I expected to pay delivery and got free DPD next day.

Well, it's taken me two days to get round the whole show. I think it's been a very worthwhile exercise and a pointer that perhaps in future a few more shows put out teasers as has been done by a few already. I certainly put more than one on my list to look out for when planning my programme of visits. I picked up a few ideas about how to do a microproject I have going round in my head at the moment and some good tips from the demos. Nice to see some old friends on show again as well. Just a possible for a virtual evening venue I spotted on my last trip to North Yorkshire. Wonder if @Old Gringo would be interested?

Some fine modelling Captain. I put the videos up on a big screen and they are awesome.

Definitely chalk, there is a BR early emblem showing under the M.

The caption says this was 3/63 but it didn't have cabstripe or LMS visible on photos taken 27/10/63 or 26/5/64. The yellow stripe didn't come in until the summer of 1964. When it took part in the SLS Farewell to LNWR Locomotives railtour on 12/12/64 it had been well cleaned and had the cab stripe. No tender emblem is visible but there is a slight difference in shading of the paint where the LMS would have been. All in all I would say that the picture was taken late in 1964 just before the SLS tour and was the result of being cleaned with a Brillo Pad.

There was a Johnson 2F at Monument Lane around 1960 on which at certain angles the old number on the cabside and LMS on the tender were clearly visible. I'm sure a rag full of smokebox clag would have taken the paint back quite easily to show them up all of the time.

Thanks for showing it, Phil. The more I see video the more I want to see it for real. Eric

It certainly got to Manchester. This was taken on 5th October 2008 if the date on my picture file is to be believed.. Two conversations with Mr York at Manchester Shows in the old Co-op venue were instrumental in me getting back into serious modelling after a few years of messing around with odd bits and pieces.

Birmingham North Signal Box commissioned 31st October 1909. Replaced by the panel on the station in 1960.