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ROY@34F

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Everything posted by ROY@34F

  1. Yes Captain . It happened to me many years ago , probably the late seventies when they were Romfords ; before Markits I would say . The milled ends were well out of quarter on one axle . Regards , Roy
  2. Good evening to you too Tony , I have a rule book somewhere I'm sure , not sure where though ! Thanks for your prompt reply . Regards , Roy.
  3. You may well be right there Tony , indeed it would make sense . But would it still apply to a light engine with just the one tail lamp ? Or a slower stopping passenger train on a slow road ? Just thinking going down Stoke bank in the dark there . Regards , Roy .
  4. No , not on a fully fitted train . Just one red lamp on the middle lamp bracket .
  5. If you have to go you have to go Tony . As others have said , the shovel was handy . Lay paper on it first and chuck it all in the box when done . There was always old relayer notices and daily updates of work on the line , local appendix updates and suchlike paperwork kicking about in the tender cupboards . I can't remember the bucket being used . We used to wash up / freshen up in it at the end of a return trip . plenty of hot soft water out the slacker pipe . Regards , Roy .
  6. Yes that was regularly done Jonathan . Quite a gap between engine and tender ! just try and miss the handrail ! Regards , Roy .
  7. I once had to go , cap in hand , into his office for a rollicking from Peter Townend in my time at top shed . I had switched some points over into a shed road and a lump of coal stopped them going right over and on reversing the A4 the tender went bump bump on the sleepers before the driver braked and stopped . The "boss" told mr I'd be back at Grantham if I was in any more trouble !
  8. Good evening Tony . In my experience , as I remember . If in station limits or even just light engine up to Highdyke , so long as there was a lamp on each end it didn't matter where . This also applied up the Stainby branch where there would be a lamp left on each end of the engine even with a train attached ! . If going any distance light engine of course there must be a lamp in the middle at the front and anywhere on the back . Class "H" lamps was for loose coupled goods not calling anywhere en route , as in the iron ore trains from Highdyke to Frodingham . The class "F" (lamps at chimney and left buffer) also known as no. 4 speed , was for loose coupled goods , and we always used that on the iron ore empties . But also on most other loose coupled mixed goods . Speeds were about 30 or 35 I reckon for all unfitted trains . of course open lights express speed just limited to local line speeds , as was local pass. with on e lamp only at the chimney , and also no. 1 speed with lamps at right buffer and middle position , used for fully piped trains of goods or empty coaching stock . No. 2 and three speeds were for partially piped trains (lamps on chimney and in the middle (No.2) and middle and left buffer(No.3) . Hope this is of interest and I have got it right in may old age (haha) Regards , Roy .
  9. At Grantham the local water is very hard , and so there was a water softening plant in the loco , and there was a large tank at the end of the old coaling stage , on top of the stores/ mess rooms which I'm sure fed all the water columns in the station and goods yards , as well as the loco . If we topped up with water up the Stainby branch from Highdyke , we had to put some tablets in the tender to soften the local water supply . I'm sure Grantham wasn't the only depot with a water softener , but I just can't think of others at the moment . But it's long time ago . Regards , Roy .
  10. It doesn't quite look right in the cab does it Tony . The seats are maybe a tad too high , though not much I think . The floor does look a bit low in relation to the firehole door, but again not by too much . I have to say the firehole door itself is excellent .There used to be an additional wooden box "stool" for the driver and fireman additional to the already raised platforms each side . Maybe these platforms could be a bit deeper ? When sitting facing forward the fireman would sit with the left foot up resting on the slacker pipe valve , which is missing in this Hornby cab , and right arm resting on the open side window and watching the road ahead . But he wouldn't have the shovel hanging from his hand , like this guy . Most odd is that .The driver's hand is in mid air , or is it a gesture as the driver and fireman look to be facing each other having a natter . The backs of the seats shouldn't go down to the floor like that , again most odd . While I'm at it , the shovel ain't right for eastern region engines . it should have a much narrower and longer blade . The hinged fall plate looks good though as Graeme King noted . Well having got that off my chest . Sorry for perhaps an over critical reply ! Regards , Roy.
  11. Many thanks for your update Dave . Poetry in motion isn't it , the Gresley conjugated valve gear . I fired on these engines occasionally when at Grantham in my youth , and with two years on loan to K.X. Top Shed . I have had a Finney A4 kit for years , but whether I will ever make it now ... I am two weeks short of 82 . But you describing your build is very inspiring . Roy .
  12. I too was unable to get on 10 minutes ago . had 2 or 3 goes before success . My security thingy blocked it . Don't ask ..These things are well beyond me !
  13. Tony , and all , Regarding lurching over the level crossing at Retford . I well remember one night on a down train thinking we were coming off the road . I was fireman with "young"driver Ted Harvey on A3 60107 "Royal Lancer" , and although Ted had shut off , we were flying down the bank to Retford and he just "let her roll" . As we hit the crossing I went flying from my seat over to Ted sitting quite unconcerned in his seat , the engine lurching violently . How we stayed on the road I'll never know . Ted said to me "what's the matter Roy " I think I replied in some unrepeatable fashion ! Many years later (about 30 years) when I worked in the can factory in Grantham , incidentally built on the site of the "new shed" of Grantham steam depot , I was running a can making line and one day my oppo , Richard , said he'd been drinking with a mate who knew me . He said If Richard said to me " what's the speed limit through Retford" I would know who it is . Blimey , I said , fancy old Ted remembering that hair-raising event all those years ago . Ted died a few years ago but I often had a good chat in town reminiscing with him since then . Happy days and precious memories . Regards , Roy .
  14. Something wrong with 61206 in your photo Tony ? The radius rod has fallen too low at the valve rod end by the look of it . Regards , Roy .
  15. Me too have pondered the contents of the green boxes over the years . Following this with interest . Good luck . Regards , Roy .
  16. We used to have a loose coupled train of loaded tipplers from Highdyke to Doncaster as well Paul , in steam days . Always one of our "Tangos" , we used to leave the train in a yard on the downside (Decoy ? ...not sure} , take the engine to the loco where the foreman would tell us to take the engine home light engine usually . Or sometimes work a train back . Or go home "on the cushions' . Was that train also destined for Aldwark ? . I don't know . I have been on the Aldwarke job a few times with an A3 , though it was rostered in a higher link , (No. 3 link} to the other Frodingham jobs . It turned off the main line at Doncaster , and did a circular route back to rejoin the mainline at Retford In the early hours of the day . We were "under the wires" in the Sheffield area ... something we were'nt accustomed to at the time . Happy days though . Regards , Roy .
  17. Hello Tony . Just want to say my two penarth about lamps . When disposing an engine , the lamps were returned to the stores , along with oil bottles . One of the shed workers or a cleaner would go round the loco depot collecting lamps and bottles that were left on . They used a wheelbarrow with two wooden shafts fitted to each corner of the barrow to hang lamps on . The lamps were wiped over and topped up with paraffin by the store man , the wicks checked and stored ready for re-issue to crews preparing engines . And the oil bottles topped up with oil . So they were completely randomly issued . Mostly a grubby white but sometimes of course one may be far cleaner than the other . Except in the case of a royal train or other special , where nice clean new lamps would be used . And of course four of them for royal train . I felt I just ought to try to make it clear from someone who was there ; albeit 60 years ago ... cripes , a bit frightening is that ! Regards , Roy
  18. Hello Tony . I didn't think the firebox bands were lined on any of the wide firebox RA9 engines at that time . But it's a long time ago to rely on memory alone isn't it . I have looked at plate 33 in Colin Walkers book you refer to and , as you say , I don't think it's lined , but not easy to be sure . Regards , Roy
  19. Tony , That maroon looks nice to me . Could you remind us what rattle can colour you used please . Regards , Roy .
  20. I apologise Andy , I thought you had mentioned that train was a pick up goods . Class H through from one place to another is quite right as you say , if it does'nt stop to pick up en route . But for the WWT to call it a pick up just seems a bit odd to me with that headcode . Regards , Roy
  21. Yes Tony , I rather think it's green . I have looked through Kieth Pirt's book of his colour photos in Grantham which is the best I've got and they are all debatable . I think it 's maybe like you suggest they were not all the same , or they were painted green in the latter few years which is my period . But I have to admit I do now doubt myself considering varying opinions I have a photo somewhere of me in Tornado's cab at Grosmont which I'm sure was green on the tender front , as shown on Graham's photo a few posts back . Having said all this , I thought handrails were black , but clearly not on your photo above . So my memory is liable to play tricks on me it seems . Nice to see the green top on the splasher though , which I agree with and which has been discussed on here before . Regards , Roy.
  22. I reckon you've got the wrong headcode for a pick up goods . It should have one lamp over one buffer , but I'm afraid to say I can't remember which side ! The headcode you have used is for a through frieght not calling en route ... or something worded like that . Regards , Roy.
  23. Good afternoon Tony , Regarding tender fronts on green engines in my time I am pretty sure they were green . Well I'd say pretty certain . Unless my old memory fails me . Regards , Roy
  24. Interesting article . All i would say is in my time in the 50s/60s I can't ever remember tenders being empty of coal at the back .. They would always be topped up long before that . It's a different matter these days in preservation days . I often see on models these days tenders with coal loaded just at the front end and it don't look right to me . Regards , Roy.
  25. Re. this coal issue in tenders . At Grantham and KX etc using coal from the south yorkshire pits , it was generally shiny , hard and sometimes with a bit slack rubbish mixed in and sometimes some bricketts which equally was'nt good . but generally shiny with some big lumps . The tenders rarely got very low in coal before being topped up as high as we could . This meant fresh coal at the front was shiny and a duller weathered stuff at the back which had been there the Lord knows how long . We used to wash the coal down well also with the slacker pipe to keep the dust down making it more shiny . So stories about painting all the tender coal with matt black and suchlike I find a little odd , but whatever suits people I guess . Interestingly It is well known we over filled often with coal . Big engines backing down into KX would often get trimmed a bit going under the canal in Gasworks tunnel . Regards , Roy .
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