TheSignalEngineer

Doesn't really matter but it allows access to the coal stage without use of the turntable if a loco is in the process of having the fire dropped.

They probably are being everyday country folk.

Don't forget that you will also need siding space for a 'dead' engine or two either waiting attention, stored or withdrawn

Taking me back a long way here, haven't listened to The Archers for years, but in the days when my mother was secretary to a group of doctors about 60 years ago several of the cast lived nearby and were on the books. Later the daughter of my old geography teacher became one of the writing and production team. He would sit in on recordings often performing customer background noises for scenes set in The Bull.

A problem with railway layouts is that there is very rarely one simple solution. Ask two signalling designers to signal a layout and you will get at least four ideas of how it can be done. I've altered the sidings in the middle so you can run a train in and run round without using the ash siding or turntable. I've kept the ash siding from the through line but you could take it off the coaling line. I've effectively created a through line from the slip at the coal bank headshunt to the turntable with the ash siding and your yellow siding connected to it then a kick-back to the shed area. The crane would normally be kept in a position where it could be got out easily when it was needed. When I worked at Saltley the crane was out to Washwood Heath and Water Orton on an almost daily basis so was kept on one of the roads near the outlet of the yard with some fire in ready to go. Foreign engines would normally be stabled pointing towards their home shed when they had been coaled and watered. With home engines it could depend on if their next job was known or they needed a particular bit of work done on them in the shed. The roads in the shed would usually have pits along the full length. Pits outside was a matter of fashion depending on company. A GWR straight shed like Leamington had an outside pit on each road. They would sometimes be paved alongside with blue brick or concrete. Eric

We have just received some Christmas cards posted 1st class in Worcester. Sender says they were posted around 15th December although they haven't been date stamped through the entire system.

I've used both methods in the past. I can do a cut'n'shut or detail modification quite quickly on a suitable donor. I have recently done a design for a Thompson Diagram 330 TTO to be cut from two old-style Bachmann corridor thirds when we can get out to source suitable donors. Until then I will have to do my LMS 57ft Composite Open, the GWR Ambulance Car/Siphon G reversion and LMS Period 1 BTK/CK to Ambulance Car to 57ft BG, for all of which I have the donors. Should keep me occupied - Tier 4 tomorrow! Then of course when Matt Chivers has finished moulding his LMS Fish Van besides doing one of those I can stretch my Palethorpes vans to the right length if I can get him to sell me three sets of his chassis sprues. I could also do with a couple of Hornby donors to do the 50ft Sausage Vans as the Mainline ones I have in stock are too wide in the chassis. They will probably be refurbed for sale. If all else fails I will have to resort to the Maunsell Buffet Car conversion from the Ian Kirk Restaurant Car kit. I found that overlays on coaches are OK but can take a while to fit all of the bits. That being said I was dead chuffed with seeing my LMS Vestibule excursion set using Comet sides on a variety of donors take to the rails. I'm now working on an LMS Buffet car on a Replica body, a re-sided LMS 60ft BCK on Airfix donor parts, GWR 60ft non-corridor 3rd on Airfix donor and two more Gresley opens but need another Hornby BTK donor for those. 2021 could be a busy year in the Carriage Shop.

I did my old Bachmann Thompsons with SE flushglazing and a black wash round the inside edges. I also dropped trimmed the top of the gangway connectors, fitted concertina gangways and dropped the ride height of the body a shade to match the height of other stock when in mixed rakes. I'm not sur if the latter issue was due to the bogie/coach interface or the body being a bit too high. I think they came out quite well at layout viewing distances. This is one coupled to a Hornby Gresley.

The pictures show up the deep sides on the Scotsman version very well.

I've had a look at the Southern Pride site and their Diagram 350 RTO looks like the ones built for the Flying Scotsman with the underframe skirts. It looks as if they actually made the oval windows to match Diagram 330. There is a picture of one partly built on the website http://www.southernpridemodels.co.uk/ Click on "Conversion Kits" the "Bachmann LNER/BR Thompson" from the menus on the left side

A few points from me. 1) Why is the shed open at both ends? I can see no reason for this if it isn't connected to the outside world at both ends and the wind going through could be fun on a cold winter night. Most of the straight sheds I remember visiting had a solid wall at the back end, often with a loco sized new patch of brickwork where someone tried to push a loco too many clear of the entrance points. I would move the shed to the right and put any outdoor pits to the left. 2) The two lines at the entrance are drawn crossing in a fixed diamond. How do you get the coal empties out and the Breakdown Crane in? The only way of getting into the shed is via the turntable. I think that the connection at the entrance needs to be a double slip. Leamington GWR shed shows a practical layout of getting in and out and serving the coal stage/Turntable etc. 3) it is best if the turntable is kept separate from the other operations of the shed. I know it isn't your prototype but referring to Leamington again, the Ash Pit was positioned between the coal stage and turntable so a loco could be coaled or taken to the turntable via the other siding whilst one was over the pit. Ash from the pit and spilled coal was loaded into wagons in the siding between the coal stage and turntable access. They didn't have a crane to worry about so no siding there. In your case I would make the through road a siding off the coal stage road finishing short of the turntable stable the crane at the side of the shed make your breakdown crane siding a through road connected to the Shed road as far from the turntable as possible. Remember that two roads coming to the turntable is a recipe for one in the pit. A bit of a doodle got me to this layout. There are some good photos of Leamington shed before opening and in use on this page. https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/leamington-shed.htm They show the relationship of the pits and some coal and ash wagons in everyday positions.

LMS Open Stock. Lockdown has given me a bit of time to finish off a set of LMS coaches to be used as an excursion train. The LMS was a big user of Open stock described as Vestibule coaches, not to be confused with the LNER use of the term. During the period from 1923 to 1948 they built over 2500 for general use other than dining against about 1000 by the other three companies combined. With the exception of one model made marketed by Replica Railways depicting the D.1915 7½ bay 60 seater excursion version this stock has been totally ignored by the RTR market. Hopefully Hornby will be in a position to produce a conventional D.1904 from their Coronation Scot stock due soon. Replica D.1915 original model. Another omission is the lack of any Period 1 or 2 LMS corridor stock with the exception of the 68ft Restaurant Car in the Hornby range originally designed by Airfix 40 years ago for release which never happened, finally appearing from Dapol in 1987 then revived by Hornby in 1999. I think this is a big gap in RTR provision as these coaches cover a period from 1924 to the mid 1960s, many having carried four liveries during their lifetime. With one exception these models were built using Comet sides on a variety of donor parts from Airfix, Dapol, Mainline, Replica and Bachmann. My first foray into this type of stock was to repaint one of my four D.1915 coaches to the version not made by Replica, the Blood and Custard livery applied by BR from 1949 to 1956. It still had the original glazing. When I built the others it looked out of place so I fitted SE Flushglaze which was an improvement. Replica D.1915 repainted Next up was to convert another Replica coach to the D.1913 BTO. This was a batch of 20 coaches built in 1934. They had 40 seats in 5 bays and were a Period 3 version of the D.1693 and D.1745 of Period 1. This model uses Comet M63S etched sides. The body shell alterations were quite simple in cutting away the unwanted parts of the sdes, cutting two windows and altering steps at the brake end and changing some roof vents at the toilet end. The interior was made from cutting up the one from the original Replica coach. Just a couple of pipes needed if I don’t put a coupling on the outer end D.1913 brake end. D.1913 side view. Stepping back to Period 2 the next model was a D.1807 TO. This was a flush sided coach with large windows and Stones ventilators of which 300 were built in 1931/2. Beware of the ventilators because the 1931 build had wide Stones type over all main windows whilst the 1932 build had them over only the drop windows with hooded vents over the rest. Three were converted for Push-Pull use in 1951. Comet M21S were used on an Airfix suburban body shell with gangways added. The underframe is Airfix with Comet V-hangers, brake cylinders, dynamo and regulator added. The seats and tables were made from a carve-up of the Replica Mk1 Open Second interior. D.1807 Continuing the Open Third theme, the next up was the Period 1 panelled two-window version to D1692. These were the most numerous TO diagram, 555 were built at Derby between 1925 and 1929, effectively a continuation of a former Midland design with some LMS modifications. 35 coaches configured 42-seat RTO was also built to the same body outline. A further 200 all-steel coaches with the same window arrangement and 56-seat layout were built to Diagram 1745 by outside contractors during 1925/6. Four of the D.1692 coaches were converted for Pull-Push use in the late 1930s. The model was a straight overlay of Comet M4S etched sides on a Replica 57’ Period 1 CK with roof vents repositioned to suit the seating bays and toilets. D1692 Finally the Pièce de Résistance. At the same time as the D.1745 TO was built, there was also an all-steel BTO to D1746, which was the equivalent to the panelled D.1693. 15 came from BRCW and 20 from Leeds Forge which was by then part of Cammell Laird, shortly afterwards becoming their contribution to the formation of Metropolitan Cammell. The latter is the one I chose to build. In this case the body shell came from an Airfix BTK overlaid with Comet M18S etched sides. As I only had a Period 3 roof in stock this was cleaned off and rubbed smooth. The prototype was rivetted steel plates with a pronounced overlap which was represented by Comet roof seam tape, together with full length rain strips from styrene and torpedo vents to the correct layout. The interior was another lash-up from a Replica Mk1 SO moulding. Now the complicated bit. Samson Fox, of Leeds Forge and the Fox Bogie fame, developed a system of pressed steel underframes for railway wagons. This didn’t find a lot of favour in the UK at first but was taken up in the USA. The company made a lot of stock for export and specialist high capacity wagons for some UK railways who were not geared up for their production in-house at a time when most wagons were 9’ WB 10T capacity. The Leeds Forge underframe had no visible trussing underneath, so the first job was to cut off all detail except for the centre part of the truss which supports the battery boxes. A triangular fillet was added to each end of the support frame at the solebar. These coaches had a box on each side so the regulator was cut off and a spare box from a scrap coach added. Once again V-hangers, brake cylinders and dynamo came from Comet. Preparing the Leeds Forge underframe. And finally the finished D.1746 coach. That completes my LMS Open stock for the time being. I have a Buffet Car in the round tuit box, sides done just waiting for roof detail to be altered and an interior to be built. Depending on what Hornby announce I may convert my other Replica D.1915 to a D1904 or D1999 56-seat version. I have also designed a cut’n’shut to produce a 57’ CO to Diagram 1903 and have the donors waiting if boredom takes hold during another lockdown.

Or a conversation with my grandson when aged about two and couldn't find one of his Chuggington trains. Q "Where did you last have it" A "Here in my hand"

It slipped out once but I think I got away with it.

There was a long stretch of short possibly 45ft rails on the line from Wigan to Southport. They were there within the last 10 years as our grandson was with us when I last rode that way. Very entertaining ride in a Pacer. I remember cover for jobs on the Soho - Perry Barr line where trimming and transposing rails was a virtually continuous weekend job before CWR due to the winding nature of the line. Nice little earner as it entailed disconnecting the track circuits and removing any leads and bonds then drilling a few hole to replace them and restore the track circuits at the end. If there was a good ganger sometimes you could get him to mark the cuts in advance and you could drill the bonding holes at the start of the job.

Going back a few years through my slides I have found a shot of TS500 on 25/8/79 IIRC when it worked through on shuttles from New Street to Bewdley.

I still have three, now fitted with pinpoint axles in brass cups and weighted below with a mixture of liquid lead and superglue

By the Tourist Open I assume you mean the single saloon with 2+2 seating type designed principally for excursion use. The Gresley Teak version was originally Diagram 186 with bucket seats and Diagram 302 for the later batch with more conventional seats. The first Thompson version was Diagram 330 with a similar layout to the D302 but with the seating bays stretched slightly as the body was 2 feet longer. For Dining use the last version was the Diagram 350 which was similar to the Diagram 330 externally but 2+1 seating in two saloons and a single lavatory compartment on the 2-seat side. A few of the latter were built with pressure ventilation for the Flying Scotsman sets. I think a good representation of the Diagram 330 could be made from the Diagram 350 with the addition of an extra toilet window vent

All I can see there is what I think is an electric light pole.

Short panels were also created by 'recutting' where worn or damaged ends of rails were trimmed and bolt holes redrilled. IIRC it was 15" taken off each end so the length of the rail came down in 2'6" intervals to a minimum length of 45' or the maximum head wear for re-use was reached whichever was sooner.

Thanks to a prompt from Clive a while ago I got some info on the D1755 BCK. I've finally got round to doing the pictures for the write-up and posted it here.

In addition to the small shops who have served me well this year I would like to add some of the 'Cottage Industry' and small traders who have contributed to easing my lot with modelling bits and pieces through the tribulations of the year, including amongst others Wizard, Hardy's Hobbies, Cambridge Custom Transfers, RT Models, Chivers/Five79 and Judith Edge Kits. Without your efforts our modelling world would have been a darker place.

Why are people panic buying lettuce? Have they found some magic way of keeping it frech?

LMS Period 1 Brake Composite D1755. As promised I have now got round to finishing the write-up for the LMS Period 1 D1755 Brake Composite. This is a second variant based on the all-door Brake 3rd and Composite of Mainline / Replica Railways / Bachmann origin. Brake Composites were very useful in the days of trains carrying through portions being used either singly or with a TK or TO being dropped off to go down an intermediate branch line. Between 1924 and 1927 the LMS built 29 to D1754 and 55 to D1755 on 57ft underframes. The former had the 1st Class compartments at the end, the latter next to the brake. The last examples remained in service until 1963. Subsequently between 1929 and 1938 they built nearly 200 more covering 7 different variations on 60ft and 62ft underframes. I chose to do the D1755 as it fitted in better with the RTR models of the D1696 BTK. Information in the way of published pictures and drawings seems a bit sparse, but thanks to Clive Mortimore for pointing me to a layout plan and compartment side elevation in one of David Jenkinson’s books. There is also a picture of the corridor side but as yet I haven’t found one of the compartment side. The eagle eyed may notice that I haven’t corrected the error in the width of the end 3rd compartment window which appeared on the BTK drawing in one of the Jenkinson books and was faithfully copied by Mainline and their successors. Also, working from the Jenkinson drawing, on the compartment side the section between the 1st class toilet and guards door should probably have two panels the same as between the toilet and compartment rather than three but I didn’t have a bit like that without doing a lot of work or starting to cut another coach. In any case I don’t have a prototype photo so who knows the difference. Construction follows the same method as the all-Third shown earlier. The main shell was Replica BTK on a Mainline chassis. The following pictures show the sections to make each side. The Guard’s door on each side was inward opening so the hinges were removed. Alterations to handrails were done with 0.45mm wire. The side lamps which were originally provided above the duckets were removed by the mid 1930s so they have been cut off. Roof vents were altered to match the new compartments on the 1st class section and the brake end. The interior was made from the existing BTK with the removal of the compartment next to the brake and the addition of two 1st Class compartments from the CK. Two sections were cut from the BTK interior. The brake compartment floor was cut off 34mm from the 5th compartment. The next cut was at the front of the seat in the 5th compartment. The fourth compartment was cut at the bottom of the seat cushion next to the 5th compartment. The CK interior was cut to use the two 1st class compartments next to the 3rd class plus the seat back from the last compartment. The adjacent 3rd class compartment was cut across the seat. The corridor door was cut off and repositioned at the partition between the new 1st and 3rd class compartments The latter section was inserted between the two from the BTK with the toilet compartment walls set at 13mm apart. A piece of scrap floor was used to cover the corridor side of the toilet compartment and a 10mm wide piece was added as a partition in the guard’s compartment. This is the altered section from the corridor side then the compartment side. And so onto the layout to join the D1695 TK described in the first post of the thread. All Photos ©2020 C E Steele