Robert Shrives

Hi I will be at show with Poldeen layout as well. Hopefully press coverage will like Warley pick up on no big trains but lots of Little ones on time. NRM seem reticent to advertise much with the building works going on and despite having held trade shows in the halls the idea of a mini show is new to them, hopefully this will be successful and the start of a Northern based N show. Robert

Lovely idea but of course the issue is with no effective London abutment and embankment made of papermache and sawdust grass effect topping... then even the army would struggle. At least nobody is shooting at the orange army with hot lead. Great photos however. Robert

Big Jim, True enough, I was at Leamington spa waiting for 1M58 the other week and a f`liner 70 flew through with a mainly empty set of flats and it was heard and felt more than seen with the roar and banging of multiple flats on the wagons- cannot do anybody any good. I stopped reading and watched train as best as I could at the speed to check rotations and tail lamp. Robert

Andy, certainly did- oxf with the turbos buzzing about . but whole line is busy when resignalling BAN - LMS got headways to around 6 minutes from 15 minutes the flood gates opened for freight away from WCML from the Southern, this with 30 minute voyagers and 15 minute turbos/Worcesters in the mix the whole line once slated for closure is very busy. It is worn out below bottom ballast as Fenny Compton, Harbury(well its tunnel and cutting, Nuneham viaduct and the plethora of level crossings show it is a disaster on the edge every day, superned as a driver knows it well and as Controller it is certainly as exciting as a ride a Alton towers on most shifts. Still luckily the Dft says nobody is travelling so there is no inconvenience is there.... Still given pics with rails removed and grout pumps working on middle pier work is rapidly in hand to restore. Hopefully June dates are good for restoration and hopefully restoration to linespeed will be possible soon after. site hampered by access so ripping embankment and abutment apart for rebuild will be slower than on a model railway with a peco bridge and scalesene brick paper. I guess it shows the problem of building on fibreboard with chipboard subbase in a damp shed in winter !!

Hi yes thinking Lima sorry but same game as Halvarras correctly says cleaning second bogie likely to be the key. sorry to have muddied the waters - unless you have some lima locos of course - check out peters spares for replacment wheelsets for the "pizza cutters." Robert

Given how savvy the GWR marketing and promotional folk were I would imagine that they would have wanted something to capture the mind. At the time air travel was the in thing for the "upwardly mobile" and many aircraft were silver/ aluminium coloured. Think like the early A and C class to CIE. I could well see some bright spark suggesting silver and some died in the wool engineer saying "no!" quite loudly, how the CIE engines disappeared into a grime livery then unburnt fuel and leaks along with brake block dust would equal a lovely hue of rail grime at its best. So I think silver for six months and repainted in a desert sand livery, then unlined black before BR lined black. I wonder what BR departmental grey /large logo would look line, thinking of the Bescot 31s in grime and oilleaking off the engine bed look - grim! Robert

Is worth checking the trailing bogie as it forms half of the pick up - via metal strip on axle IIRc might need cleaning/ rebending - if you take wheels out check you keep them facing the same way. robert

Just need to mask a couple of planks for repaired bare wood as well. Robert

Phillip, Yes to accommodate internal designs, however with in reasons the mK3 was flexible design with standard parts jig assembled with whole side offered up to the chassis. Catering cars have a complex history and was catering led over operator led so several vehicles created for planned operations the TRUK mentioned here had a 4 window saloon and a big kitchen/ servery/pantry but no counter. Intended for full meal services but speed killed the sit down period for a multi course traditional meal, along with new eating habits of burgers and takeaways landing big time did for the need for the TRUK. The small buffet TRSB did all was needed on many routes but the 27 TRUB and local RUB did all that was needed for meals. TRUKs were thus redundant - a couple wandered off into Royal duties the exec saloon as mentioned above , the others were stored until the cusine2000 modular catering came along to further ( but not better) align train catering to the airline style of preformed slop in a tray off train and heated on board. To convert all workings and remove Mk1s the TRUKs were converted to give a float to allow RUBs to be butchered, however not enough so a batch of non catering MK3s were converted - here the flexibility of design showed as with some repaneling a kitchen side wall created, the corridor/bar side however only had one big window converted to a tall small size, the easy spot for a converted vehicle over ex catering. Robert cutu

Well back in the day the snug was the place to be , sadly they very quickly be came smoke stained and sticky with uncertain products spilt or leaked upon the carpet. But of course not a patch on the cooked breakfasts on a REP. The decline and downgrading of the vehicle was sad to see. Robert

IIRC it was used as a test bed for NSE livery as it was stored at the time, rather than just for the 442s - which are still the best emu to grace Southern region metals. Robert

yes CIE version not dissimilar to the 442 ones. What is a bit fun is how similar the convesion is to the WSMR/ Chiltern catering Mk 3 Robert

Many thanks for the quick response and info there in Likely to do its later version as no N parcels rail air transfers but parcels service on a sheet I have. Robert

Hi, Just wondering if any kind soul can confirm whether the 130 parcel 116 cars used on the rail air parcels were at the time fitted with corridor connections - all the pics I can find are wrong end / angle to show details. Just faffing with N gauge Dapol railcars into DMS and MS having a GUV to fit in between. TIA Robert

What would be fun on the 2what ifa" route would be an NIR driver brake in NSE livery. Robert

Hi Well to edit having reread : Obvs really A class and 80 class double beets would tickle many.- well 10 or 12 persons... or a micro 42 foot fest.. BR Mk2cs in two liveries for both sides of the Irish sea. off topic wish listing. Mk4/ 91s intercity dmus 123. Trans pennine 124. 143/144 pacer . Steamy things like a S&D 7F and Duke of Gloucester 71000 spring to mind Micro uber fun would be an 0-4-4 highland loco to go with Highland 4-4-0 ben or a 4-6-0 highland goods, some HR coaches perhaps to garnish. Robert

Given trams have feelings as well I am surprised that the bloke did not get run over after bending the wipers in a childish fit. Robert

Two pics from 3mm glos group meeting yesterday . AB COVvan in rf brown and a brake van, fitted with working directional sensitive tail lamps, fitted with wiper pickups. "photo plank" is the house and camping coach siding from Minsterley. For taking pics camping coach shunted clear. Group of 8 met up for the day and progressed pet projects together, lubricated with coffee and biscuits etc. Also had a play with new Hornby track which ran quite happily. Robert

Hi Just a wild update to show my Vic Berry lookalike pile of partly started loco/dmu projects. Many are LL (Lenny Seeny ) products but include 3SMR brass 40 and 73. Shapeways sourced 158. GWR razor car and class 120. A Bruce Smetham Western at rear of first photo. Some run on chassis others will offer swap bodies hopefully not too scary but it does knock on the head the "nothing is available" arguements. Not shown are a mass of Worsley works coaches, emu and DMUs all part started. Hopefully life not too short to actually finish a few in time. Robert

Yes looks to be a good idea showing power through the age HST PC next? I guess work required is huge and labour force has more than enough work but to fit DCC style sound could be a bit of fun for somebody.

You can never win! The BRB/ BREL draughtsman must enjoyed the "standarisation" tag.. The pan car is better but of course the roof on the model is moulded with the body side. Even though windows are right ! Certainly the TSOL would be the way forward. such musings and fun with filler and files is what keeps me going! Robert

Asked to pay balance just the other day so hopefully not three far away! Robert

I should buy in bulk supplies ready to make a quick Euro/ pound for when the gang of ? in the IRM bunker spring the double beet in the Q2 of 2023 after the 80 class at the beginning of April !! Robert

Great pic of a time long gone, looking at the age of the two on the running plate alone hints of a harder life and sobering thought perhaps that WW1 was only 4 years away - did all these young men survive? In better happier thoughts happy new year and thanks for all the updates on the layout. Robert

Good work impressed with the bogies and as you say the short run will be ok. some sort of ptfe grease might help otherwise. I look forward to more updates. Thanks for sharing Robert.