vitalspark

They certainly do Phil and many in the picture will be running round Glasgow again this weekend as its another open days at the museum in fact I have just received a members e mail requesting volunteers for driving/conducting etc..its at times like this I wish I had a PSV licence. The group are very fortunate to have the sole use of a very large well equipped bus garage that was only built in the early 60s..donr know the exact date it closed with the corporation but it is an ideal base for the museum with great workshop facilities and plenty of offices. Obviously there are a large contingent representing Glasgow Corporation and other Scottish operators but also many more buses and coaches from other corners of the country including a Blackpool PD3 and several Routemasters…even a fully restored Thames from Malta.

…in saying that just had a look inside our local garage and seems we have a few too..

Mmmmm sounds like you have some nice old Classic buses down there..lucky sods!

Theres no question of them being replica as they seem to be cut very accurately from some sort of an mdf material while the crest is very nicely moulded in resin but they are full size. The story was that they were used for a naming ceremony prior to the loco having the 'proper' cast plates fitted later and when operationally suitable but I wondered if there was any possible validity to this. I thought it unlikely but at the Perth show where they were behind Neil Booths stand in case anyone fancied making an offer two Glasgow railwaymen both retired and not together quite unprompted said they were probably made as a substitute for the real thing prior to the locos being fitted with the cast plates later at works or shed..either that or as you say for presentation and publicity purposes. It was interesting to hear this as they talked like it was not uncommon in fact one of them said before he retired he remembers seeing them either new for forwarding or returned after the proper sets were fitted at the office in Glasgow. This would make them pretty low value I suppose but they are nice things and if offered up for sale at Swindon rather than Perth would probably have found a home.

I will be talking to the guy on Sun at EM North so will let him know whats been spoken about although I am sure it will be ok..just courtesy. It featured in MRJ 172 I believe so its well enough known although not been spoken off for a bit lately. I last viewed it back in 2012 when we exhibited at the Wigan show and we accepted an invitation to visit while south of the border. It was breathtaking and although still under construction the scale of what one man is undertaking and achieving is difficult to describe. All encouragement to yourself with Euston. Dave.

Not connected to 47s at Queen St with but your knowledge you might be able to shed some light on an issue concerning a nameplate. A friend has who is not a railway enthusiast..he owns and runs classic busses!…has in his possesion a replica name/number and crest for '47500 Great Western'. The plates are superb and obviously professionally produced as when viewed mounted on a wall they look like the real thing. Name and number seem to be from wood and the crest a cast resin. Story is and has been substantiated from two Scotrail personnel that often plates were produced as replicas for namings to fit in with a schedule ..often for one side only.. and then the loco would have the proper cast plates fitted at a works visit when suitable. I initially doubted this but as said two independent railway professionals from Buchanan house have suggested same story and I suppose it does make sense. Do you or anyone out there have any knowledge of this practice? Obviously if there was some provenance that the plates had at one time been carried by the loco even for a short time it could help make them easier to sell on. Attached images of plates and crest.

OMG he saw this video and now wants lessons too…you don't know what you've started! Just a thought…what was this thread about??

Aye and he lives down your neck of the woods…keep an eye out!

The more I look at this pic the more I smile. I hope its on a canvas or framed on your wall..brilliant. Dave.

Look forward to it..it looks superb. Dave

Yep the 27s were certainly vocal. I made lots of runs behind them but unfortunately didn't manage to record it on video. Did get a bit of the 47/7s though and when videoing from the first coach window the sound of the loco was impressive. I knew a couple of drivers on the 27s back in their day and they were like chalk and cheese with one of them old school who would push the loco to its limit to maintain time as that was what was important to the customer..the other was a lot more laid back and would keep the thing within its limits as he saw it but often lost a minute or two. Result was the former spent a lot to time with failed locos and flashovers apparently…still I know the one I would want to be riding behind. Towards the end they substituted one of the 27s for a 37 so maybe that took the pressure off a bit. Great days. Dave

Brilliant pic!

Reminds me of a certain superb model of Camden Bank in EM created in the attic of a well known and highly regarded finescale modeller. Its a truly awesome and accurate layout including the sheds ..4th rail roads..diveunder etc. I would love to post a pic but without his permission would not do this. It does prove the point though that no prototype no matter how ambitious is beyond consideration so good luck with Euston.

I told my daughter her dog was a better driver than she was..so now she lets him do the lot.

Great shot of the original generator Darrel and as you say pretty rare at Queen St . I was shooting video one dark winters night at York and this loco arrived from Liverpool on a Newcastle service exactly as your pic but still with its plates. Nice shots in the night of crew changing before setting off again but of course early days with the new fangled format and slightly grainy compared to what we take for granted now in the digital age. Always liked this one and bought the Vi Trains model ..doesn't fit within our train set time period but did stick it on when no one was looking!

Enjoyed reading this thread and sounds like you are making good progress with what will be a very accurate model..well done. Look forward to seeing this on the circuit just a pity its not ready for the 2016 50th anniversary show at SECC as it would have been a very welcome addition. We are currently also building a large exhibition layout of a central Scotland mainline location to take over from Alloa but this will be 4mmF/S. I have loads of pics taken in that era including hours of video with quite a bit at Queen St following the 47/7s in their last days so will look through them and if anything interesting will advise and can forward if required. Dave

Thats all very interesting I had heard that there were field mods on the traction motors although I am sure the 47/7s were capable of another 5mph over their designed max purely down to the fact that they were running on a fairly straight billiard table route only 40 miles long and hauling a lightweight disc braked train. They did run continuously in the high 90s and often 100 daily and given the amount of runs each working day they must have been the hardest worked 47s in the country by a mile. After the green from the platform end at Queen St it was straight at the 1 in 42 Cowlairs incline and once over the top they sounded like they were flat out to Falkirk..then again flat out to Haymarket. This went on all day so I guess the higher maintenance regime was mandatory. I wondered did they alternate the Aberdeen runs with the Edinburgh to give the locos a break so to speak as I presume a daily mileage on the Edinburgh given the trips was higher and definitely at higher sustained speeds. We lost a fantastic service the likes of which I would doubt we will ever see again. I well remember BR trying to publicise the new Sprinter service as if it was a step forward and failing miserably. The public were not that gullible and coming off Mk 3 coaches and a 43 min timing it was soon obvious that they had been had with crowded slower trains. We must not forget of course the earlier Push Pulls with Class 27s and Mk2s as if anything these were even more impressive given the unsuitability of these type 2 locos to run in the 90s all day long. There is a log in a publication of the route which shows a pair of type 2s actually hitting 100mph..no wonder there were flashovers. Great stuff and sadly missed. Dave.

One question I never had answered was when the 47/7s were transferred away from the Glasgow - Edinburgh Push-Pull service were they modified back to their original 95mph maximum or did they retain official 100mph capability. I remeber the small plate on the drivers door of the altered locos stating the higher max speed and the routes passed for same.

Eastern Orient Express on River Quay bridge .. 62712 Morayshire on Boness & Kineil image courtesy of 'Mike C' of the Fair City.

I wouldn't have thought that it would have been damaged enough to be withdrawn after recovery certainly looks not too bad. Even 'The Diver' no 224 was fished out of the Tay and worked for many years.

Just stumbled on this thread and your Yoker project..quite fascinating. Its an unusual subject being a small and not too glamorous shed so well done for bringing it to the fore and elevating it to the status of what looks like a very fine model. I am often down that way and know the area.. the redundant earthworks and retaining walls which abound in the area are testimony to the once busy L&D network. A good friend of mine still lives in what was the stationmasters house in Hawick St..his dad was stationmaster at Yoker until he retired. I haven't been in touch with him for a bit but I know he would be interested in your project so will pass on the link to your site. He may even have photographs or whatever that might be of assistance but regardless he will be very interested. Hes not a modeller but is an enthusiast..he was raised at Riccarton Jct where his dad was stationmaster before moving to Glasgow so the railway is in his blood..he is also a registered steam driver on a preservation line. I was sorry to hear it has been dismantled as the images would suggest it was destined for greater things..Expo EM?..hope its temporary and we see it up and running again soon. I think we have spoken before in relation to the Alloa layout..another industrial central Scottish subject..so as said hope too see more updates on Yoker soon. Dave.

pH..your flickr link to '60s images is superb with a huge amount taken in Scotland…many very familiar. Highly recommend a browse. Thanks Dave.

Sh*t..wish I hadn't watched that now..see what you mean about the earworm warning! I'll forward to the other Daves…share and share alike my motto.

Say hello indeed Gary..make yourself known at the train set. Dave (Scott)..there are four 'Daves' in our small group..its been rumoured that its a requirement to get past the enquiry stage!

Bless him..he grumps about all the kits he builds for Alloa and says he is doing no more…but he makes a great job of them so we just ignore his moans. He went on about the Judith Edge shunters for a month… The aforementioned Jidenco J88 showing not a sign of the grief it caused... ..and the famous shunters that hastened his grey hair..