Caley739

I believe that 7 are Irish Great Northern.

8 is a Caledonian 0-4-4T at Beattock Summit. It has just dropped off the train it banked from Beattock.

Got to be Patriot or Baby Scot 4-6-0s numbers 5500-5551.

I think their decline commenced even before dieselisation when Polmadie aquired 5 Britannia Pacifics. They still retained the Clans essentially because no other shed would have them. There were several attempts to palm them off on Haymarket and St Margarets but they were always quickly returned with thanks but no thanks. So they seemed to have little diagrammed work and would only appear on weekend or special passenger workings with only freight train working for most of the time, or standing "not required".

In the same BTC report was the strange statement " All electric vehicles are lighted by electricity." I had to pause and think about that one! I assume they refer to electric multiple unit stock.

A quote from The Railway Observer October 1950 which in turn quotes the BTC Report and Accounts for 1949; "Of a total of 36,591 passenger carriages, 35,226 (96.3%) are electrically lighted, 1,248 (3.7%) are gas lighted, 1 is oil lighted and, 16 are officially not lighted at all." Could the last 2 catagories qualify as most basic? Any suggestions for what types they were? also for the gas lit.

5 looks like a North British N15 0-6-2T possibly in BR livery but a GW wagon in the train might indicate an earlier date.

I don't think the Mark 1 description was ever used before introduction of the Mark 2 designs.

Type training was not a feature of steam engine operation. Any crew was expected to operate any steam engine without specific training. Occasionally this could have dire consequences. An example. On 10th September 1940 Coronation Pacific 6224 in charge of a passed fireman and passed cleaner dropped a plug between Cleghorn and Carstairs. The fireman was killed in the resulting boiler explosion. These inexperienced men had no real experience of the type on main line work.

It was very much a policy decision to eliminate as many classes as possible. Classes eliminated in December 1962 from Scottish Region stock included Stanier 3P 2-6-2T, Fowler 4F 0-6-0, Jubilee 6P 4-6-0, Royal Scot 7P 4-6-0, J39 0-6-0, 8F WD 2-10-0. In addition large numbers of Black Five 4-6-0, Ivatt 4MT 2-6-4T, Gresley V2 2-6-2, and 3 Duchess Pacifics were included. Not all of them were in poor condition!!

Swindon did not build any class 08 shunters. They did build 6 to a Hawksworth design which was roughly similar.

Yeadon's Register of LNER Locomotives Volume 4 has a good view of 60927 on page 39 at Haymarket (I think).

"The Power of The V2s" by Gavin Morrison OPC 2001 has 60927 on page 95 at Steele Road on the Waverley Route 3/12/62 and 60965 at Hawick on page 92 12/7/58. Both are St Margarets allocated and in dirty unkept condition.

60934 appears on page 150/151 of the above book, in BR lined black livery with British Railways on the tender, so early BR days. Seen at Lincoln.

I've never understood the fixation with toilet paper. But then to me a six pack is a very large pack. I've got about 4 and abit rolls at present, enough for the forseeable future. On my visit to Lidl this morning early the toilet paper shelves were bare. The only other shortage noticed was canned peaches. I admit to buying the last 2 cans on my previous visit !!

According to Summerson 1681 &1767 were allocated to shed 30/20F Skipton continuously from at least 4/24 to 11/45. You can rule out 1681 reboilered p8/25 but 1767 seems to have been a round top to withdrawal in p9/51. 1767 is noted as fitted with a double cab at an unknown date. 1820 was allocated to Skipton between 9/33 and 11/45 but was reboilered p9/26. 41855 was allocated only in BR days. So its looks like only 1767 fits your criteria.

Midland Railway Locomotives by Stephen Summerson (4 volumes) has allocation info for most Midland locos. Which dates are you interested in?

"Wheel Specifications for the Modeller" by Mike Sharman 1982 gives the following for B17: Driving Wheels 6' 8" with 20 spokes. Leading Wheels 3' 1" with 12 spokes. Tender Wheels 3' 9" with 10 spokes.

The Princess Royal pacifics could also appear in Aberdeen.

In the 1950s early 1960s the 2 overnight Euston to Perth trains were worked between Crewe and Perth by Crewe North engines and men. These engines had a long lay over at Perth until they returned south on overnight trains. Unsurprisingly Perth running foremen were tempted to use these engines on fill in jobs to Aberdeen or Glasgow or even Edinburgh. My understanding is that the LMR authorities did not approve of this practice because the softer Scottish coal available at Perth had a lower calorific value than the hard Staffordshire coal available at Crewe. Thus appearances at Aberdeen if not routine were not really unusual.

Reporting number W55 was a Euston-Wolverhampton service.

17 is an ex Highland Railway Castle class in LMS days since it appears to have a shed plate on the smokebox door. These plates were introduced on the Northern Division in 1935. The coaches look like ex Midland Railway.

Lifton, Devon with the Ambrosia factory.

I remember the chilblains, but don't remember peeing on them!!