hmrspaul

I am very proud that I managed to convince our policy people that these were a plant pest and we could use our legislation to insist on eradication of an outbreak in a publicly accessible glass house, probably all of 30 years ago. The UK didn't have suitable legislation to protect people or animals, only plants! I don't remember where we thought they had originated, the glasshouse was in the habit of importing plants from many countries. I used an Australian quarantine service leaflet to convince our policy that action was required. Invasive pests are a difficult call - those lovely Rainbow Lorikeet are fabulous on the East coast, but are doing a good job of pushing out the locally native Australian Ringneck in Perth and surroundings on the West Coast. https://science.ebird.org/en/status-and-trends/species/railor5/range-map?week=1&static=true Paul

You need to be careful with what region or area you are representing as unfitted trains were banned area by area. Most unfitted minerals in the late 1970s and early 1980s were rebuild, or at least had their top door plated over but until c1982 they were around in South Wales, Goole and the North East, Workington (and possibly Scotland but somewhere I only got to in the 1977 until some years later). https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brmineralweld They did last longer transferred to the engineers, with minimal alteration apart from, a usually crudely written) D in front of the B of the number. Paul

70809 today working to Oxwellmains through York Now to sort out all the wagons and load them! Paul

GBRf Convoy through York today Individual photos are in the collection. https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/belmondgbrf66 Paul

HMRS members should read the HMRS forum for important news about the availability/price of this book. Paul Bartlett

Fish are a seasonal catch. Herring, which were once very common and important source of protein, migrate around our islands and the fish vans followed. Paul

They explain that in their description. See in https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brfish Paul

On the lunchtime engineers through York yesterday All wagons photographed of course, despite it not stopping as it is planned to do! https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/recentlyadded Paul

Good to have them break cover. Some photos of a few prototypes 957011 https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brfish/e97932d2 BR 1/801 Barrier Van – No.M87990 957012 https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brfish/e74f676f BR 1/801 Barrier Van – No.W87573 957013 https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brfish/eb8c41f5 BR 1/801 Departmental Van – No.ADB975377 Paul PS just noticed this in the description (coded NRV and later SPV under TOPS) This is incorrect, the SPV designation predates the introduction of TOPS codes, for example on this 1970 photo by my late friend Tony Dyer https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brfish/e3e013bfa (I realise this is the earlier design on an LNER type brake rigging and slightly different body)

British gauging vans, and they could be elderly https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/lmsbrakevan/e37cb8b03 https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/lmsbrakevan/e3f8b61e7 https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/lmsbrakevan/e29c555fd which appears to have worked with https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/gwrbrakevan/e582cb2aa and older and stranger https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/lnerdepartmentalcoach/e2c83b440 Paul

Yes OK, will go with BBA. Paul

Here is D6746 at March on 8th July 1968. Pretty conclusive I think! The palvan just beyond the water crane is one built for the Izal traffic, but possibly more general use by 1968. Swayfield Class 56 up test train Sept 77 J5818 Yes what are those wagons? Bogied, but the high ends and the substantial side stanchions are unlike either BAA or BBA. Could they be BOV, conversions of Bogie Bolster C https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/bovpipe but I am not convinced! Paul

I agree with you, but I do think attendance at York is more subtle because of the way Easter is a moveable date. Reasonably nice weather towards the end of April then the family goes to the seaside, Reasonably nice weather in late March the family simply want to go out, and may head to the racecourse. I've worked front of house for the past 3 years and I think it is disappointing how many few young children, and even more importantly, teenagers attend. My one criticism with the arrangements for the show are that local to York advertising is poor. It was very good to get a good write up in the York Press but a bit late to affect attendance. Perhaps, it did help, and it is better families attend on the quieter Sunday and Monday. As to stewarding, well we all agree the main questions asked are "where are the toilets" (which the racecourse seems to want to hide) and where are refreshments. And once in the lift it isn't clear where they are, because there is a floor above the one used for the very excellent catering, and the lift signage suggests there are food/drink outlets on every floor - which of course there are on a raceday. Paul

Unfortunately the ones that survived into the 1980s had replacement, 2nd hand steel frames. https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/lmstank Paul

Not many. Strangely BR built some batches of specialist wagons only piped - Covhops https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brcovhop/eb633154 and Grain https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brgraincgp but there were others. Piping seems understandable for the odd wagon that could fill in a rake of otherwise vacuum braked wagons, but not these wagons which more usually worked in rakes, even block trains even in the 1950s. There is an argument that the unloading mechanism of these wagons made vacuum braking difficult. But it was done, as each had VB built Lots. Yes agree, no VANPIPES. Paul