mikesvirginstow2

Wow Gents, so much information and references to some great photos and web sites and of course the drawings. You are very kind to take the trouble to share your knowledge. My kit (PDF Models) is nowhere near as sophisticated as the Slaters or EDM/Agenoria kits, so I may ditch the cast backhead on mine and fabricate my own - or perhaps just hold things in check - it's a simple kit to run in the garden!! At least I can now have the major items represented properly...... The 3D printed dome mounted safety valve / whistle assembly for the Ports would probably be well received - my kit has Alice type safety valve turret (standard parts for all their Hunslet kits) - that's what started my search, because I knew that was wrong. I am sure some PDF customers would be interested. I know I would be - I am working out how to make my own!! One result of my research (this tread has been brilliant) is that I have really got interested in the quarry hunslets and their work. Cliff Thomas's book is fascinating - Got Slates to Velinheli ordered and I am looking at the books by Boyd! Can't wait for us to be let out .... Statfold and West Lancs Railway will be early visits when they hopefully re-open! Thanks again to all Best regards Mike

What is the object marked Greenem(?) and Cravens on Ray's drawing? Is it an injector? If so, would there have been a matching one on the other side of the back-head? The photos I have aren't comprehensive enough to show all the interesting detail in the cab and on the backhead. Also, what is the "apparatus" on the firebox top on the Ports (where the safety valve turret is on the Alice's) ? Thanks Mike

4" scale - now that's a proper loco!! Happy H, Ray, thanks very much for your replies - much appreciated. My copy of Cliff Thomas's book arrived this morning and it is brilliant - some great photos of dismantled locos and Don Townsleys drawings in it are very good for my purposes, especially combined with the extra detail shown on yours above, Ray. I think you are right about common parts HH, the large quarry hunslets were different look and layout though, (bigger Alice??) so might get back to you if I need more info, if I may. I had thought the safety valves were Ross pops, but confirmation of this and the size, is invaluable, as is the noted 1'2" ID spectacle frame on the drawing. For now I think I have enough info for a simple model for the garden, but I will keep this thread bookmarked so that I can ask for further help if needed, if you gentlemen don't mind. Once you start detailing, where do you stop!? The arrangement of the cab interior is probably the bit I have least knowledge of, although the above drawing clarifies reverser/brake standard arrangement. Good cab interior photos are rare. I will have a look at Slates to Velinheli, although I am still smarting a bit at £40 for a second hand copy of Quarry Hunslets of North Wales!!! Pleased that it is so good and worth it. The trouble is, I am getting drawn in to the charms of these lovely, characterful little engines, so...... Thanks again to all who have taken the trouble to reply and offer help, Best regards Mike

Hi Gents.. Thank you very much for your very helpful replies. I have managed to order a copy of Cliff Thomas's book - out of print long ago, so a second hand copy was quite difficult to find at a sensible price!! Anyway, success and I am reliably informed it is worth every penny. Here by the weekend. The kit I am building is, as I said, fairly basic, but ripe for some detailing. It is for running in the garden though, not destined for a showcase. The only things wrong with it really, are that the cab spectacles/ cab front and back don't look right and I will need to make or acquire fundamental, important details such as safety valves, lubricators, reverser lever, etc - hence the need for drawings....and the detailed info and photos in the book. Jeremy, I have measured the kit and the spectacles and they are only 12" diameter and too far apart... so my initial thoughts were right. Should be fairly easily rectified. My loco will be called Emily, so it won't be an exact replica of any of the 3 locos in particular - but I want it to be a proper Port Hunslet. I chose Michael as a basis because I like the rivets!! Smokebox has them, tank doesn't and all 3 have cabs now!! ( It might even end up GW green with copper capped chimney and polished brass!! ) Once again, thank you - your replies are much appreciated and have helped get me going. Best Regards Mike Chritopher - will reply to your PM shortly - thanks

Good evening all. I am building a Port Class Hunslet (based on Michael) from a 16 mm 3D printed/laser cut acrylic kit. The kit is quite generic/ basic, but provides an excellent basis for adding detail. I am trying to find dimensions and details of parts on Port Class Hunslets. In normal times a trip to Statfold with a camera and tape measure would have been my preferred option (a good day out too!) but, alas, won't be able to do that for a while....... In particular, I would like to find out the dimensions of the cab spectacle rings (OD and ID) and drawings, or photos and dimensions of the safety valves and whistle on the dome. Arrangement drawing or photo of the cab interior would also be useful. Can anyone point me in the right direction please? Any information would be very much appreciated. Thanks in anticipation Best Regards Mike

Even less likely to have mechanical assistance in a small rural (back of beyond) goods yard - we didn't have electricity or mains water on our farm near Holsworthy in 1959!! I was thinking more about the activities of the type of Agricultural/feed/fertiliser/ builders Merchants like WD&NC or Thomas Oke, who brought stuff in, including coal I believe, and then delivered it out to customers. I was alluding to them being more "storekeepers" than shovellers! More digging to do now I have got interested!!

Who would have thought that domestic coal could be so interesting!! I have found that the research for my railway has been one of the most interesting and enjoyable facets of the project. (Unfortunately, it can also be a distraction from doing any actual modelling at times! 2ManySpams had more or less confirmed the way to go for me, when up pops Nearholmer to send me off on another train of thought, to another thread and then to Britain from the air. Another morning gone - no cabbages planted in the retired signalman's garden!! Fascinating stuff though) Virginstow, although a real place, has developed differently in my world, to what actually happened in fact ( it never had a station for instance, let alone a connection / junction with the GWR), but the village and surrounding population served is assumed - or can be - around 800 to 1000 - which is not far off 1 to 2 wagons a week by your calculations Nearholmer. Near enough for the purposes of detailing my goods yard. However, It has helped to and forced me to, fill in a bit more of the story of my model world. I shall continue to investigate the operations of the Agricultural / general merchants in the area. thanks again, all, for your help Mike

Chaps - first of all, thanks for all the replies and information - learned some stuff here. Loved the photos of Claverdon, and I had forgotten to factor in the lowish density of coal, so will probably increase the potential average number of wagon loads arriving to 1 a week, working on annual tonnage of about 450 tonnes at 8 tonnes a wagon. Dad (and many other farmers) used to buy their coal in summer - it was cheaper! - so cost would have smoothed flows a little over the year..... The name Gunn rings a bell in my memory - maybe Gunns bagged coal and sold it on to General/Agricultural merchants in the area ?? Although it must have been transported by rail, otherwise it would not have been recorded in the tables in "Branchline to Padstow"? "Coal stands" are mentioned at Holsworthy in David Wroe's Bude book. I think I might do a heap of coal on the ground next to a half empty wagon and some bagged coal adjacent, or something along those lines - although I still can't imagine Thomas Oke / WD&NC staff doing much shovelling and bagging in 1960. I don't believe there were any dedicated Coal Merchants at stations along the lines of the Withered Arm, except possibly at Launceston (and Wadebridge) maybe. Thanks again for the info - brilliant help and food for thought.... Best Regards Mike

I am modelling a station "along the Withered Arm" towards the Halwill end of the line. It is called Virginstow and has features of many of the stations on the NCR, in particular, but not exclusively, Ashwater. I am now in the process of detailing the goods yard, which has a goods shed, loading dock and a corrugated stores building belonging to Thomas Oak and Son. Members of the forum have helped me with information along the way, about signal boxes, buildings, etc, so please can I call upon your expertise again....... From my research, I have found that these NCR stations' goods yards did not have the traditional sleeper built, or indeed any other type of coal staiths, - complete with a Coal Merchant. According to the tables in "Branch Line to Padstow" most had some domestic coal traffic. From personal knowledge I know this would be true - in the 50s and early 60s, my Dad used to buy bagged coal from West Devon and North Cornwall Farmers in Holsworthy (Bude branch) and the other farmers' merchants in the area would have all sold bagged coal - eg Thomas Oak, Troods, etc. I also found a reference to "a coal store" at Tresmeer, but no details. In my world, Virginstow would have handled about one 16 tonne wagon load every 1 to 2 weeks on average. (In my world Virginstow is a little bigger and more important than in reality!!) My question is - how would this coal have been handled in the goods yard? Would it have been bagged direct from the wagon/floor by the likes of Thomas Oak, or would the merchants have bought it in ready bagged, similar to the bagged fertiliser traffic. If ready bagged, how would it have been transported to the station -- in 16t, or smaller, open wagons, depending on demand? I look forward to some help and would like to thank in advance anyone who can share some knowledge with me. Best regards Mike

Thanks John I Can now use a plausible route number and destination for my version of reality. The A388 is probably nearer to Virginstow than to my station would have been!! Thanks again Best Regards Mike

Hi John Thanks very much for that information. Can you tell if it went up through Werrington, Whitstone and Bridgerule then Holsworthy, or did it go up the A388 through St Giles and Clawton to Holsworthy? The names bring back memories...... I learned to drive around that area - took my driving test in Launceston in 1969!!! I think there was one set of traffic lights and one roundabout. Three months after passing my test I went up to Sheffield. That was frightening! My driving instructor was an elderly retired lady who took payment in the form of bottles of whiskey!!! Thanks again John Regards Mike

Hello all. First post for a while - so long in fact that I have had to re-register, as my old email provider no longer exists!! (I was previously "mikesvirginstow") I am building a layout based on the North Cornwall Railway. It is located in the area between Launceston and Halwill Junction and is mainly based on the stations at Ashwater and Tower Hill, although bits from any of the NCR stations influence the layout. I call it Virginstow. My daughter gave me a rather nice model of a Southern National, Bristol LS bus for Christmas and I want to put it on the layout. I need to change the destination and route number on the bus and I can't find any information on bus routes in the area during the late 1950s - early 1960s. I know that there was a number 122 bus that ran from Wadebridge to Bude, but that used the coastal route and would not have gone via Launceston and Holsworthy........... Does anyone know where I can find information on Bus Routes, or does anyone on the forum have this information? Thank you in advance, Best regards Mike