Cowley 47521

2024-04-17T23:00:28Z

5 hours ago, montyburns56 said:

"Loughborough Midland crane working on new connection to Brush works when Class 60s were being built June 89" by David Ford

That’s a real old meets (not so) new photo there. Excellent. 👍

2024-04-17T21:26:39Z

Well we have achieved a sale (for an undisclosed amount that hopefully we’re all happy with) to a group from Okehampton called the Exeter Junction model railway club:

Exeter junction model railway club
07703 310436

A couple of the guys came out last week and are really looking forward to taking it on. I’m obviously really pleased as they’re local to me and they’re planning on taking it out on the circuit at some point which was exactly what I was hoping to achieve. It also means that I can still see it now and again hopefully so it’s all worked out really well.

I made a little video earlier explaining things:

April 3

Morning everyone.

I’ve made what might be a final little video here:

April 2

Well folks. I have fired the starting gun this week and I’ve tentatively put Lapford on the market (the layout that is, not the actual village).

We need the spare room emptying and finally the large shed in the garden that I had built about eight years ago is about to become available. Being 6 foot wide though means that there’s no way I could get the layout in there and still be able to walk down both sides which I’d need to be able to do.

In actual fact, I’ve been wanting to start a couple of new railway projects for a while though now so I’m more than happy to see this go to a good home and me make a fresh start (I will obviously be keeping all of my rolling stock, vehicles etc).

Hopefully I’ll be getting together with the lads on Monday for an operating session so I’ll post some photos. We’ve had to cancel me going to the Exeter show in June though unfortunately as we’ve made the mother of all cock-ups and ended up double booking myself to go to Ireland that weekend. Most embarrassing!

Nick

March 31

God, trees.

I think I made about 250 of them for my railway and also my friends. I’m nearly over it now though…

Looking very good Chris.

March 19

On 18/03/2024 at 10:53, Porcy Mane said:

Still not as popular as the Posh People can Burn Pensioners (and people that look like Harry) Scheme.

was that Kate’s second attempt at using Photoshop..?

March 9

1 hour ago, Ramblin Rich said:

Great photo. Likewise i havent seen anything from thst era with 2 trains at Lapford.

I do remember discussions about there being a short token for Crediton to Lapford, with a "lock in" facility on the Lapford loop ground frame so that other traffic could pass through. Presumably it would have to get to Crediton or Eggesford before the Lapford frame could be released.

Certainly adds something to the running options on my layout Rich. 😉

March 9

8 hours ago, slow8dirty said:

Indeed. It's early enough to put forward a contender in the style of a radio show tenuous link however.

The same collection has an image, again undated, of 37175 bringing clayhoods into Newton Abbot yard.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C3Czs7qswwk/?igsh=MXRsOXlpdjc0MjB2Mw==

A search on class37.co.uk has her being transferred from north o the border in full West Highland LL regalia to Laira in May 86.

Displaced by the 37/4s and unsurprisingly a bit of a china clay beastie throughout much of 86/87 according to that site's sightings page. The photos show she lost her Eastleigh terrier somewhere between Sept 86 & April 87.

The same sightings page list her as being a regular performer on the Barnstaple branch mid August 87 - mid September , returning North in October that year. No other photo's or submissable evidence unfortunately.

Good stuff. 👍

I did wonder if it might have been 37175 as it was sent up the line one summer Saturday to rescue a failed 31/4 on a Barnstaple - Exeter run when my stepbrother and I were camped out at St David’s one day in 1987. Please excuse the poor quality photos but this is them arriving back at St David’s.

March 8

On 06/03/2024 at 19:04, slow8dirty said:

Stumbled across this on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/C3VZEHUsn-v/?igsh=eXN6YXVwMXpjMzY1

Caption is "142025 about to bounce through Lapford."

What caught my eye is the loco and wagons in the loop, forming the left periphery of the shot. Something large logo or RF grey with PWAs?

~~Any opinions on the loco class?~~ What I mean to ask is, is that a 37 at Lapford, or am I going mad?

It is a 37. I’d love to know which one and what the year was though? They were fairly frequent visitors in the early 1990s but not so much in the Skipper era.

I must admit that it’s quite unusual to find photos of two trains at Lapford at the same time in that era. I’m not sure if I’ve seen any actually.

March 4

58 minutes ago, MattR said:

Speaking of Peaks --- I've never seen this livery before: the BR blue with black hood, cantrail and white outlines on the window frames and grilles, and the amazing stack of crest, nameplate, shed plate, number and data panels on the side. Manchester Victoria 1987.

My stepbrother and I were hanging out at New Street one summer Saturday around then on our way to Nottingham, 45104 rolled in looking exactly like the photo above but we turned down catching it to Derby as we wanted to stay a bit longer where we were. We ended up getting 45145 a couple of hours later so that was good for us.

Tinsley went all in with livening their various fleets up in that era. I think all of the Peaks left at the end had unofficial painted on names? What made 45104 different of course was that they used its original name and they actually made some replica(ish) nameplates for it (out of wood I assume?).

February 22

1 hour ago, keefer said:

sorry guys, i wasn't meaning it as a quiz - just that i had no idea that this sort of scene lasted so long, i would never have been anywhere near the real date.

Locos, stock and workings from at least one or two generations before......

Well I went 10 years earlier than it actually was so you got me Keefer.
Excellent photo and exactly the sort of thing that makes this thread interesting!

February 18

13 hours ago, AndrueC said:

Lol, I don't have much else to do. The rain is making it difficult to get onto golf courses.

Funnily enough though I did think today that perhaps stringing wires for my telegraph poles might be next. Trouble is that'd interfere with track cleaning.

I did actually wire up quite a few of my telegraph poles, but mainly ones that were next to the roads. It was fiddly but I like the results. You can see some here (and a few of the fence posts too).

February 17

2 hours ago, AndrueC said:

Fencing..there may be another way.

So the method described above does work but getting the fence wires taught/straight is a bit hit and miss. The problem is that if you insert the fence post by post this requires the wires to be out of alignment while you get the next post in. Sometimes you can bend the fixed post and it will spring back but other times not so much.

I've discovered that you can straighten the wires by putting a dab of glue (not superglue) between finger and thumb and running them along the wires to gather the slack then holding the slack against a post. It works fairly well and if there's too much slack you can put some flock down to hide it.

But it's a still iffy so I decided to try a different method. For this method I inserted and glued the posts first then wove the wires along the post line. If there is a curve or corner then run the wires outside the posts. The idea is to ensure that when you pull the wire it pulls against every post. You can then add a dab of superglue. This method results in a straighter wire but can be fiddly and irritating. I've so far strung two wires along a dozen posts with reasonable success. I think I'll be able to string the third but in N scale it might be less aggravating to just run two wires with this method.

It does look better so this might become my preferred method but it can still be a pain.

But whichever method you use don't forget to go back afterwards and dab some paint on the top of your posts 😉

You’re very patient doing that with your fencing. I must admit that I just put posts in and let my imagination do the rest!

February 15

1 hour ago, Moxy said:

I'm not familiar with the incident, but if the wagons overpowered the loco, causing the runaway, perhaps the rear part of the train derailed, uncoupling from the front part of the train in the process. The front part then continued down the hill to be diverted on to the Churnet Valley line?

Yes I see what you mean and reading it again that could well be what happened.

I wonder what sort of speed the loco took the curve before Leekbrook Junction? I can imagine that part of the train picking up a hell of a speed running away down that bank even with some of the brakes partially working!

February 15

16 hours ago, montyburns56 said:

Tipplers living up to their name...

Leekbrook Junction 1977 by David Blower

The caption to this makes for interesting reading:

This was a runaway caused by the guard not pinning down sufficient facing brakes at Ipstones Summit, I recall the tipplers were recovered to the Park Sidings number two road where some of the lesser damaged wagons (about five I think) with broken springs had had the concrete lids of the cable troughs inserted over their axle boxes to make them safe to be moved where they were cut up a few weeks later. Further up by the small stone arch bridge a wooden body Hybar wagon had come off the road narrowly missing the lane edge below, all these other wagons were cut up in situ and the spent ballast used to remake the formation. The runnaway loco with remaining wagons attached was turned down the Churnet Valley by signalman late Eddy Hambleton where the (I think 25) ran through the gates at Cheddleton destroying the last wooden crossing gate, the other three were those horrid tubular metal replacement ones. Regular signalman the late Ken Faulkner was also on duty at Leekbrook at the same time

I was trying to picture the course of events and I couldn’t work out how the train separated and two parts ran away including (by my reading of it) one part derailing but the other part including the loco not coming into conflict with it. Could anyone shed any light on this possibly?

February 8

February 8

February 4

8 hours ago, steve1 said:

Those sheep look a bit posed too…

steve

At least they’ve weathered the one in the foreground though.

Nice photo Iskra.

February 3

4 hours ago, Re6/6 said:

Ruby's favourite place!

Mine does that too!

I also left the train room door open the other day and not for the first time one of the cats completely ignored the “Keep Out!” sign on the old baling machine…

January 31

20 hours ago, CloggyDog said:

The pair of Brake Thirds and four Thirds are good to go, number decals a custom job from Railtec. Locos getting there, name and numberplates (7 & 8) from the old King's Cross range to add.

And scenic work continues, should have the bulk of that completed over the coming weekend.

Fascinating project. I’ll be following your progress.

January 29

Yes I think I prefer the wire as well.

January 26

On 25/01/2024 at 17:57, montyburns56 said:

Tipton St Johns 1967 by Graham Bowden

Very little trace of that scene now, but if you’re passing and you know where to look you can just about work out where things used to be.

January 21

On 20/01/2024 at 00:01, The Stationmaster said:

The one we saw under cinstruction at Churston was amuch better job than the white and of course it benefitted from not having subsequent alterations made to the fascia.

The railway of course is basically a leisure railway tourist attraction and has to pander to that market and not to enthusiasts - that;s the only way it is going ti stay open.

Is that panel in the little cabin at Britannia Crossing? I seem to remember reading that the whole line was operated from there?

Regarding the line itself though. Yes it’s a bit soulless in some ways, it’s definitely not preserved in the sense that it retains semaphores and pretty stations (although Kingswear is pretty special in its own way). However, to me it’s always made up for some of this purely due to the job it does in bringing train loads of tourists into Dartmouth who might otherwise try and drive into the town.

It’s also, in my humble opinion, the most perfect stretch of steam railway mile for mile in the country. Within seven miles (which some would say is the perfect length for one of these lines) it has sandy beaches, viaducts, a decent length tunnel, waterside estuary running, an interesting terminus, proper climbs that make the locos work hard and beautiful views of the Devon countryside.

When you’re behind the loco looking at the views on the climb up to Churston it takes some beating.

January 21

On 20/01/2024 at 11:34, brushman47544 said:

Someone couldn’t spell…

Lucky it didn’t end up in Neath. 😉

January 13

(I apologise in advance for these)

I don't know if any of you have

seen the article, but the guy who invented 'predictive text' sadly passed away yesterday.
The funfair is planned for next week…

Also though, I’ve been thinking about a change of career recently. I saw a job advertised, hanging mirrors.

It’s definitely something I could see myself doing…

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