w124bob

This is the best I can find at the moment, its a still from a SIM but gives a good view of the stove lid. Class 40's had a hot plate on the floor just where the 2nd man would rest his left foot, Doc Martens can melt!

I know someone senior in the preserved railway world and the issue appears to be cost not actual supply, he's was talking about an increase from £120 a ton end of last season to a at least £650 at today's price. The stock his railway has is enough for the rest of the season, so they have a window of about 5 months to source a fresh supply. The last lot came from Uzbekistan so that's a non starter for next year.

No fags, no tea! The stove is just between the secondmans seat and the access door to the nose and had a large fold down lid (blocked the nose door when down). So with the stove cover on the brew can would be by the 2nd mans RT shoulder as seen through the middle window.

The vehicle was first given an all over wash of a dirty black/brown acrylic mix, just brushed on. Some of of this was then wiped away using a damp cotton bud. However on a heavily weathered vehicle like this its done very sparingly, only really around the door areas as bags and people go in and out. I have just three MiG powders, black, a pale dust shade and red oxide, I also occasionally use artists charcoals mainly white now. Some of the faded panels were done by working in a tiny bit of red oxide and white on an old brush. I do all my powder weathering with the model over a shallow plastic box and it's this mix off the bottom of the box which gets used most. Most of the chalk instruction marks came from a Railtec sheet, but a couple were done with liquid chalk picked up on a cocktail stick. Once I was happy the whole thing was given a coat of Dulcote matt varnish, this as it drys makes some the subtle powered effect disappear. So when it's just touch dry(about an hour) touch up any lost powder detail, there's no need for a second coat of varnish the fresh powder will stay on as the varnish drys completely. I dont use an airbrush and the only two acrylic colours used on most of my stock is the Humbrol 62 leather equivalent and black. See the Dewsbury Midland postings over in Modellers Musings and Misc(blatant Plug!)

I can't repost Flickr images onto here(copy and paste issue)however a quick search for D64 or 45045 shows the nose end as normal, no small hole. I've checked all my class 45 book collection as well as Rail-Online, nothing. So why it appears on the Heljan model is a mystery! It's very clear on the Rails of Sheffield images. Just checked and it's present on all versions with that headcode variation in green as well!

I've seen at least one picture of a very clean class 45 complete with white rim wheels and silvered buffers ready for Royal Train duty. The communication cable is in place and wrapped around the RThand lamp bracket, picture was taken at Toton and was in the marker light era.

Anyone renumbered one yet, just wondering how stubborn the type face is. Yes I know there are unumbered versions out there( Olivias commission for no headlight ETH and triangle grill present)but I was unaware of that. So 45133 is on it's way as that carries the most common grill combo for a ETH loco.

One area where I notice a real difference is the headcode, better type face and a thinner vertical divide than the Barwell versions. Heljan are good at doing livery variations so I look forward to the economy plain green versions.

This loco really benefits from a little weathering to enhance it's appearance further. Mine is the preserved version, with a small amount of grime just to take the shine of the black and tender top. Followed by a gentle polish with Tcut of the blue. Sadly something real strange happens in the uploading process but I hope this image gives you the idea.

Dug out some airbrake era stock, there are 6 more tank wagons on the bench awaiting renumbering. Not sure ESSO tanks were a common sight around West Yorkshire but they are the most common on Ebay at reasonable prices.

Last time I saw an 08 it was on the M6! On a lorry.

Somehow Land Rovers and railways go together, a well worn Series 1 80inch On a different note 5150 leads 5149, both Holbeck loco's. on a parcels

Minix Anglia with a bit of paint, quite passable I think.

08346 an ED machine for many years, would fill the bill nicely, in this picture you can see the difference in the area under the cab behind the buffer beam. I reckon a fillet of plasticard would do the job.

This where I'm at with my steam loco's, since weathering is about the only skill I'm any good at it's the period I chose for my kettles for Dewsbury Midland, gratuitous plug Bachmann 9f on Dewsbury Midland.

It's been a while so here's one from the archives

I'm pretty sure no class 25's had dual brakes from new simply because of the image of the final loco, D7677 ex works cover picture for the Derby works open day programme on the Derby Sulzer site, vacuum only. There were some early conversions with loco's still wearing as built SYE livery. D7647 almost making it into TOPS in that condition. I've trawled Flickr for images of every Heljan body style class 25 as well as using the Derby Sulzer site. On a different note is there another run production due?

This is a good guide, it lists the variations of cab door/window wood variations, hood door hinge and single or twin exhauster differences. This is volume one so image wise is blue TOPS era. https://billhudsontransportbooks.co.uk/bhtb/bh14124/br-standard-diesel-electric-shunters-in-colour/ Volume 2 appears to covers livery variants 1956 to '96. i gleaned the following from vol1 08001 to 266 over size hood door hinges 08001 to 176 twin exhausters 08267 to 544 single exhauster 08369 to 387 over size hood door hinges 08545 to 560 twin exhausters 08561 to 570 single exhauster 08571 to 595 twin exhausters 08596 to 605 single exhauster 08606 to 645 twin exhausters 08646 to 655 single exhauster 08656 onwards all twin exhausters This is the as built before mass air/dual braking programme started. The late 80's platform 5 spotters books has an indication next to the number regarding vac only/ dual or air only , fairly cheap on Ebay for a late 80's copy if thats is your era.

In my experience from back then, conveying of mail and parcels on ordinary class 2 passenger trains had all but disappeared by the time the 142's had arrived. The Vic to Chester job I mentioned above conveyed little mail traffic, from memory about a dozen bags so barely filling the area where the tip up seats were. Diagramming had changed with the loss of newspaper traffic, previously a dedicated parcels unit did the midnightish run to Chester and the boat train connection was the return working from the last Vic to Chester train.

Yes maximum number of any unit together was 5 back in my driving days, we had a regular Preston to NH ECS move. This departed around midnight which would regularly max out (I've been know to bring more than the regulation 5!). There was for a period a 142 parcel run to Chester from Manchester Victoria with a stop at Bank Quay arriving at Chester around 1am. The unit then returned to Manchester Victoria( this was changed to Piccadilly) as a passenger service having departed Chester connecting with the Holyhead Euston (used to be about 01.15 off Holyhead), again calling at Warrington for connections north. There were always punters for Leeds and beyond who had a long wait at Victoria and I never understood why we couldn't run through to Leeds. The service disappeared from the timetable around 1989 I think.

I was based at Manchester Victoria from when the Pacers were almost new to 2002, Newton Heath never mixed and matched. At one time it was possible to see 5 or 6 different liveries together,pale blue, GMPTE orange, new GMPTE white black and red, Mersey Rail yellow, Mersey Rail revised, chocolate and cream and new Reggie Rail. It took NH six months just to change the destination blinds on the chocolate and cream ones (Western Super Mare via Oldham and Rochdale!) When the the data recorders where being installed I heard the 142's got an extended dispensation because no two had the same wiring, we'd been running around with them fitted to other classes of units for well over 18 months . There were certainly a few hybrid 150 3 car combos for a while at NH in the late 80's.

One to look out for if you want a small crane is the Iron Fairy crane, here's one from the Keir Hardy EM layouts page. Someone has taken the time to add the cage, mirrors and light guards, plenty of "no box" buys on Ebay for less than a tenner.

A few non railway images today.

Just noticed the distortion of the sleepers, I have a similar issue with images of diesels with grills taken side on. It only shows up after cropping and resizeing. If I crop and resize on the phone the image looks good then once uploaded the distortion appears, any thoughts as a more seasoned model photographer

Talking of Lancia's Still exists and is currently insured. 47643 was a non vac loco seen here at Anderstaff lane crossing Burton on Trent. Picture is dated 1966 and the car is almost new. This would have been rare in RHD form even then!