Image heavy, but i hope you enjoy...

 

Well, a rather delayed happy new year to you all, I realised I haven’t posted since the last event of 2012! But not to say much hasn’t happened, I’ve had a quick look back at what was going on with things back then, and projects on going that have moved on considerably!

Unfortunately time has rather overtaken me since my last post, no runs as such have happened, and I’ve had one round of exams, and am preparing for the next, the pannier is now weeks from steaming (and due out on first weekend of May with a bit of luck!) with all the important bits made, Dad has bought a full size wagon and has been ploughing on with projects other than the tank wagon and Motor van! All that on top of two model shows (Alexandra palace model engineering show and Acton depot open day) a day removing bits from our new wagon and a couple of days getting mucky under the full size!

So, more than anything we’ll have a photostream of various things and maybe a little bit of an aside about it. To anyone with a slow internet speeds my deepest sympathies, lots of images here!

 

I'll deal with everything in chronological order, so from December...

 

Hopefully the various railway presses havnt let you forget its the 150th anniversary of the worlds First passenger underground railway, the Metropolitan railway, and you may have noticed alot of my modelling focusses on it, so only right when the LTmuseum organised the return of steam on the underground, we spent most of the first saturday of runs chasing it round london!

 

Sorry the images are poor quality, it was very difficult shooting mostly at night!

 

 

The last image belongs to a friend who was stood right next to me when he took the shot!

 

The weekend after, we had been invited by the 7 1/4 society to put on a display as part of their Met 150 themed stand. So we set up a siding for shunting the same as we do at acton depot, and had an interesting weekend after that!

 

 

Problems of many miles for this weekend, when we got to Alexandra palace exhibitio hall, the one coach we had taken was looking stranded as in the cold the bolts in the tie bar! But much cussing swearing and frantic searching for tools, we got it free. Dad was ill most of the weekend, so that was no fun, and the weather closed in for the sunday evening. The Met 150 specials were also on that weekend, but i'm glad we didnt wait till that weekend to seem Met 1 and sarah siddons, the roads on the way back, especially with a trailer were not at all fun!

 

On another note of Metropolitan railway interest, and general railway preservation, Dad became proud owner the last unrestored Met railway vehicle. The history of the van is long and convoluted, but essentially its a workshop van to a standard Met railway van design, that spent its last days in Quarry service as Glendon Quarries. Fro there it was preserved at Rocks By Rail in rutland, and when it became surplus to their collection focus, we stepped in to see if LT museum or Quainton railway society, we ended up buying it!Any way, at the back end of last year it moved to its new home for restoration, The northamptonshire ironstone railway trust, at Hunsbury hill, where it will be restored under contract by their volunteer staff.

 

 

Also on fullsize front;

 

 

I spent a couple of enjoyable days at Tyseley locomotive works working on Dinmore Manor, with my good friend, Dinmore Manor of this parish (of course )

 

She should be back in traffic later this year, rumours are rife already, and i look forward to seeing her running! But anyway, very few ictures of my time there, too busy cleanin several thousand miles of somerset muck off the coupling rods, and putting the odd bits back on and more than a few off as well! Very cold but good fun!

 

 

(credit to DML group for permission to use their images)

 

Back on the home front...

 

The only progress on Dads wagon projects have been the arrival of the CNC turned tank ends, done as a favour for us...

 

 

Pannier news... lots and lots of stuff done... tank fillers, lots of paintwork done, tons of pipework made up and put into place, bulges i the back of the tanks so, like the ful size the fillers do go into the tank! So, i'll just leave you with the pictures...

 

 

Also the cover plates for the top of the tanks have been made

 

Another interesting project going on is my A level project... i managed to wrangle it so i ended up building a 5 inch gauge wagon! I saw this little wreck first at didcot back at the GW175, and i was rather taken by it. Dunno why, its a total wreck! But since then i have spent the odd moment designing it in autocad. Finally i found the time to finish the designs and get it all laser cut, not a cheap excercise it turned out, but so far its not turnd out too bad!

 

 

Its been mostly soft soldered up, with the upright frames being made of brass angle, amongst other things and seperate pieces

 

My local line, Battlefield line played host to a north Cornwall theme... The Beattie well tank from Quainton Railway society, and the T9 from the NRM/Bodmin and wenford

 

 

And finally... still with me?

 

Acton depot open weekend was delayed a little this year, but was by far the best and busiest ever! Mainly because of the presence of In steam Ffestiniog railway Prince (a railway also celebrating 150 years, and who also restored the Met railway Jubilee coach 353) as well as Met 1 in light steam with said coach and Milk van. I'l leave you to be a judge of how superb the jo they did on the both of them was...

 

 

Our stand, much the same as last year, but longer with more stock!

 

 

and before the show opened. we took the opportunity to reunite Sarah Siddons with some former headboards from its southern region wanderings... exclusive pictures, only a few people got these pictures!

 

 

But if your still here, well done!

 

Any questions ask away, hopefully we'll get back to 5 inch gauge work next time, perhaps with a bit more frequency of posts! Theres plenty going on this year, this weekend GL5 have set up a track inside the hall at NRM Shildon! I wont be there this weekend, but if anyone is about, drop by, support us and have a watch of what we do.

 

Cheers

 

Mark