MPR

I’m working on one of these at the moment - they are reasonably good models, if not to the latest standards. I’ll put some photos and description in my “Torre” thread in the near future. If you have access to “The 4mm coach part 1” there is a good description of a similar project.

Not for these coaches - they were built with 9’0” wheelbase pressed-steel bogies, which did not have a tie-bar between the axle boxes, they would have been much stiffer than previous designs

Steam locomotives have used many forms of fuel besides oil and coal, including fossil fuels such as turf, LPG and naphtha, but also non fossil fuels such as wood and bagasse. For heritage railway purposes, wood and its derivatives are probably going to provide the best answer for the very long term. There have been a number of experiments with torrified bio-mass, which is made by a process where wood is heated in an airless environment to produce a coal-like substance. The volatiles that are given off are then burned to sustain the process. Binders are being developed to produce pellets with properties optimised for locomotive fire boxes - the pellets can be stored like coal - they do not absorb moisture. With all the talk about carbon capture, I also suspect that this process may be a key environmental remediation tool. The coal mines of the future may be burying this material beneath ground to sequester the carbon. If we want to maintain some long term access to loco fuel - “we”should be buying and developing commercial forests specifically for this purpose as part of wider carbon sequestration efforts - & be part of the solution and not the problem.

Tom, it’s been great to see this layout develop over the last few months, it shows artistry and craftsmanship of the highest order. I really hope that you have gained as much satisfaction from it as we all have in watching it grow -I’m looking forward to seeing the next chapter! (and of course Cwm Prysor in due course!) Occasionally, I go back and check the early views to remind myself just how small it is! My very best wishes to you Martin

0750 Kingswear to Cardiff at Churston this morning.

Will this kit cover the “3100” std 4 boilered rebuilds?

Brassmasters are developing a 4mm kit - details at: See http://www.brassmasters.co.uk/blog.htm#21-08-21

These coaches still exist, in a somewhat rebuilt condition. https://southdevonrailwayassociation.org/Special-Saloon-9004.html https://southdevonrailwayassociation.org/Special-Saloon-9005.html

Lyn has arrived from Hattons! First impressions are good, it ran smoothly out of the box. Couplings were fitted, the cow-catchers were in the accessory bag. The front pipe is slightly fouling the front coupling - this will need to be attended to. Fit and finish is good at first sight. The headlamp works - and is very bright! More later!

Wow, that’s very impressive!

Peter Gray took a series of images of this rebuild - the level crossing was still in place until this was completed. The images have been published elsewhere, but can all be found at Transport Treasury these days -e.g https://www.transporttreasury.com/p1039757392 (Images 725 to 728) The Peter Gray gallery is well worth a look - I have purchased a number of large prints to provide information for "Torre" - the quality of the negatives is excellent (you can get FAR more from them than a typical book reproduction) Pricing and delivery were very good.

Rails are reporting that arrival of Lyn is imminent… https://railsofsheffield.com/news/articles/4060-l-b-baldwin-2-4-2t

No - the survivors 1420, 1442, 1450 and 1466 were all sold into preservation directly. In terms of modern GWR locomotives sold into industry - 1600 pannier (NCB), 1500 pannier (ditto), 57xx pannier (NCB, LT), 8750 pannier (NCB, Stephenson Clarke, Hayes scrapyard) Another thread has dealt with this topic in detail.

I’ve seen references (and photos) of stock being stored midweek in these sidings in the peak holiday season - 1966 seems very late for this though. Also, both seem to be GW-designed coaches - there can’t have been much pre-Mk1 left by that point, although peak season strengthening seems a plausible last usage. It’s good to see though, it gives scope to display rolling stock on the layout in an authentic manner!

Thanks John - I was planning to ask you about this exact question at some point soon! I haven’t spent much time on the layout again until recently - I am easing myself back into modelling with a mainline Collett 3rd rebuild at the moment. Best Wishes Martin