steverabone

TRACTION issue 248, the November/December issue is published on 5th October Over the last few months the problems of the railways, especially timetabling issues, have hardly been out of the headlines and haven’t made easy reading for enthusiasts. Hopefully, 2019 will see a resolution of these difficulties but, in the meantime, let us indulge in a little nostalgia by heading back in time. Richard Butler returns us to 1982 when he travelled on two Class 40 hauled railtours and also experienced the special loco hauled trains run to York for the visit of Pope John Paul II. The changeover from steam to diesel haulage was an intriguing time and Andrew James analyses some runs on the London Midland Region to see whether diesels really did improve things. David Ratcliffe continues his series of articles about those fascinating industrial locomotives that used to be so common. This time it’s the turn of the smaller Hunslet locomotives. Metrovick’s Stockton-on-Tees factory produced the infamous Co-Bos but, as Graeme Pickering reveals, much more successful locomotives types were exported around the world. Colin Boocock returns with the second part of his article about the BR Mark 1 coaches with the emphasis this time being on the multiple units and the later years of the loco hauled coaches. Class 40 fans have another treat in this issue with Steve Woodhouse describing his visits to Manchester Victoria to see the class in action in their declining years. Gavin Morrison’s photo feature about Salisbury will take readers back to the days of numerous loco hauled services at this Wessex crossroad. The operating problems of the leaf fall season are recalled by David Flatman when he was responsible of the Class 37s working out of Stratford Traction Maintenance Depot during the sandite season In TRACTION MODELLING a superb Scottish layout, Kinmundy, is the featured layout whilst Will Thompson returns with an article about detailing a Hornby Class 60.

Yes you are correct. A correction will appear in the next issue.

The September/ October 2018 issue of TRACTION, issue 247 is published on Friday 3rd August. Naturally, we have the another broad range of articles for you to enjoy. The line from Ayr to Stranraer, with its spectacular scenery, deserves to be much better known. Richard MacLennan, a driver once based at Ayr depot, describes his time on the Stranraer line working overnight passenger trains with Class 47s and Class 107 DMUs on locals. It’s now sixty years since BR introduced main line diesels on a regular basis, so it seems appropriate for Andrew James to look back at the performance of the Brush Type 2s and English Electric Type 4s on the East Coast Main Line and Great Eastern in the late 1950s and compare it with steam operations. Freight trains feature in an article by Nick Gerrard about sand trains on the Caldon Low branch in Staffordshire. We have two photo features, the first being the work of Trevor Ermel showing trains on Tyneside in the 1970s, with the emphasis on Sunday diversions. Then there is a look back through the years at the Class 26s in Scotland with images from Gavin Morrison’s collection. Colin Boocock writes about the Mark 1 coaches in the first of a two part article about these iconic vehicles. The days of preserved ‘Deltic’ No. 55022 hauling Scotrail EMUs for repair are recalled by Stuart Fowler. Driver Mick Humphrys tells us what it was like to work on Class 31s in North London in the 1980s. In TRACTION MODELLING there’s Dave Benn Pollard’s DCC operated N Gauge layout, inspired by the Bristol area, and Will Thompson’s feature about detailing Hornby Class 50s.

If the WH Smiths that you normally buy Traction from hasn't got them ask their staff why not. Sometimes it is simply that they haven't arrived or in some cases it is because the manager has decided not to stock it. Sometimes I also notice that copies are in the wrong section and pushed right at the back as I noticed in the Middlesbrough store.

I did travel on the Kyle line behind 37s. The 37 broke down east of Plockton and we sat there for over an hour whilst the driver tried to get the loco started, which he did. He then drove the engine as hard as possible sometimes, I suspect, exceeding the speed limit given the rather exhilarating ride. We made it into Inverness and ScotRail held the last connection to Glasgow for us.

Thanks for those positive comments. Don't forget that TRACTION would always like to hear from potential contributors who would like to write articles for the magazine. All our writers are enthusiasts or railwaymen who want to pass on their knowledge or experiences to other readers. Contact me at steverabone@hotmail.com

TRACTION 246 the July/ August 2018 issue is published on Friday 1st June. One of my regrets as an enthusiast is that I didn’t experience the time when the Class 37s dominated the haulage of both passenger and freight trains on the West Highland Line. My first visit was in 1968, in the days of the North British and BRCW Type 2s, but by the time I made my second visit in 1990 the Class 156 ‘Sprinters’ were firmly in control of most passenger services. Luckily, enthusiasts such as Martin Axford recorded on film the days of the Class 37s and his feature gives a vivid flavour of that time. The humble electric multiple unit has often been ignored by enthusiasts, but the N.E.R. and L.N.E.R both adopted them enthusiastically for suburban services around Tyneside, and, later on, their lines out of Liverpool Street and Manchester, although their introduction into service there came in BR days. Quentin Williamson explains the development of these interesting and, for their time, advanced trains. Many of us have fond memories of boarding a train of locomotive hauled carriages in winter with steam leaking from the pipes between vehicles. Bob Dunn tells us, “Yes, I worked on steam” as he explains what operating the steam heating system was like for the locomotive crews. Glen Batten remembers the days when the Class 31s made an unexpected return to passenger haulage for Wessex Trains, which included the repainting of one of the ‘31s’ in ‘shocking pink’. David Ratcliffe returns with the second part of his article about freight traffic in Manchester. This time he looks at the railways of the south of the city. Our photo feature highlights the area around Peak Forest, known best for its heavy stone traffic. Photographs by Gavin Morrison, John Ford and John Dedman give a taste of this location through the years. Colin Boocock’s travels with the RCTS took him to Germany and Austria in 1958. In those days many of the classic pre-war German electric locomotives could be seen operating in southern Germany and it is these intriguing types that are discussed in Colin’s article. Ian Harrison recalls the days of Britain’s heavy industry in the Rotherham area in 1976. How Britain has changed in forty years! In TRACTION MODELLING Simon George returns with a report on the development of his mammoth O Gauge project to replicate Heaton Lodge Junction. He has now found a home for the layout in the basement of an old woollen mill, whilst development work on the considerable amount of freight rolling stock needed is well underway. At the opposite end of the scales, Andy Gibbs explains how he has developed a selection of suitable ferry wagons to operate trains on his N gauge layout Kensington Olympia. Enjoy this issue! Stephen Rabone editor

The May/ June issue of TRACTION (no. 245) will be published on Friday 6th April. One of the types of traffic that has disappeared from our railways is the travelling post office train, where mail was sorted on board as the train hurtled through the night. If you ever saw the frantic activity at places like Carlisle and Crewe, when the ‘ Up Special’ TPO appeared, it’s a sight you’ll never forget. Mick Humphrys, being based at Euston, drove the TPOs north from the Capital and recounts his experiences driving electric locomotives on the TPOs as far as Crewe. The humble diesel multiple unit was often overlooked by the enthusiast, who tended to be attracted to the thousands of main line diesels that BR operated. However, from the late 1950s, they became an essential part of the railway and are now viewed by many as just as interesting as locomotives. Alex Fisher’s article about the DMU depots of British Rail attempts to give this aspect of the railway its proper prominence. Another feature of railway operation that has gone is the local freight train. David Ratcliffe looks at north Manchester in the dying days of such trains. Hopefully, by the time this issue appears, the chances of disruptive snow will have diminished, so perhaps it’s time to look at one of those days when the chance to photograph the railways in the ‘white stuff’ occurred. In December 1978, Steve Randall had the chance to photograph trains near Bradford upon Avon and was surprised by the variety of traffic. Staying in Wiltshire, David McPherson returns with the second part of his article about Swindon Shed in the nineteen sixties. Moving a little further west, Gavin Morrison’s photographs of that great railway station, Bristol Temple Meads, take us back to the days of locomotive hauled trains in the 1980s and 1990s. In our European section, Michael Watkins continues his series of articles about the electric locomotives of the Swiss railways. This time he looks at some of the real giants of the railway, including the articulated ‘Crocodiles’ which had a life in traffic of over 60 years! In TRACTION MODELLING, James Smith describes how he took a 4mm scale model of a ‘Clayton’ and rebuilt it to represent the prototype DHP1, or ‘Super Clayton’. This issue’s featured layout is a model of an imaginary main line suburban station at Earl’s Court in London built by Terry Tew.

I suggest you try again as TRACTION issue 244 is on sale in the shops i've visited. Stephen Rabone editor

The text has been amended to avoid any confusion.

Welcome to TRACTION issue 244 which is published on Friday 2nd February. This issue has something of a Western Region and diesel hydraulic bias, with three features covering that short period when the WR was just that bit different to the rest of Britain’s railways. We start with an article by Alex Fisher about the life of the first ‘Hymek’ No. D7000. The ‘Hymeks’ had a very short working life, being the victims of changing motive power policy of BR, but must surely count as one of the most attractive of Britain’s diesel locomotives. Next, David McPherson relates his experiences working at Swindon shed in the 1960s in the first part of a two part feature. To round off our Western coverage we have some photographs of model diesels on the sea wall section of the magnificent 4mm scale layout at Pendon, which replicates the coastal line near Teignmouth in Devon. Normally Pendon is a ‘steam only’ layout but just occasionally diesels are allowed to appear….. Dave Gommersall and David J. Hayes look back at the days of the ‘Enterprise’ freight network with an in-depth article about what became known as the ‘Birch Coppice Tripper’. Sadly changes in Britain’s railfreight business have largely ended such fascinating workings. The series of articles about the maintenance of locomotives and rolling stock by Colin Boocock comes to an end in this issue when he relates the success of ‘Lococare’ initiative when staff were encouraged to be more involved. This resulted in dramatic improvements in the reliability of locomotives on the London Midland Region. Another focus in this issue is on parcels and mail train operations. Stuart Egbeare recorded in detail the final months of the Portsmouth to Waterloo parcels trains in 1989 and 1990 whilst, over in East Anglia, Christopher Lenton set out to photograph the Norwich to Princess Royal Distribution Centre mail trains in the late 1990s. The lines of the former Glasgow and South Western Railway in southern Scotland provided plenty of opportunities for photographers to compose interesting images. Gavin Morrison’s feature takes us to some lesser known locations and shows the variety of workings that could be seen in the past. In our overseas feature Michael Watkins returns with another look at some of the fascinating, and extremely long lived, electric locomotives of Switzerland. Many of these survived in front line service for well over sixty years! Our featured layout in TRACTION MODELLING this issue is Crossfield. Mark Pegden’s layout, set somewhere in the industrial Midlands or Yorkshire, features scale length trains and an incredible array of highly detailed and weathered diesels that really show what can be achieved in N Gauge. It is inspirational modelling indeed. The following issue of TRACTION, issue 245, will be on sale Friday 6th April.

Yes that's the plan. My kit has brass/ nickel silver etchings, various castings like firebox etc but there is no smokebox or boiler. A little scratch-building is required as in my Patriot model.

Those are some really good wagons that you've built. I've been building DB wagons (and carriages and diesel locos) in S Scale, mainly out of cardboard but with some brass and plastic where this would be better in S Scale. Why S Scale? Mainly because I like the size of the models but also because no manufacturer is likely to produce DB in S !! The full details are on my website at: http://steverabone.com/sscalewebsite/modelling_the_d_b.htm The photos show the finished results.

I've got the etchings for Alan Gibson's Black 5 and Jubilee (in S Scale!) but haven't got the instruction sheets. Does anybody have copies that they could let me have a sight of? I'd be quite happy to have scanned copies rather than paper copies. It doesn't matter if the instructions are for 4mm as the frets are the same. Please feel free to private message me or get in touch at steverabone@hotmail.com The photo below shows an unrebuilt Patriot - in S Scale - from one of Alan's kits

Welcome to the January/February 2018 issue of TRACTION. You will notice that the magazine has a slightly different look as we are using the letter style adopted by British Rail and known as the Rail Alphabet. For a magazine that focuses largely on the BR era we feel it’s a logical step. Let us know what you think! Moving on to the contents of this issue, David J. Hayes continues his in depth look at the North & West line through Herefordshire, with the focus this time being on freight traffic. Backed up with a superb selection of photographs by Phil Baldwin, it’s a reminder of how varied the freight traffic on this line used to be. Moving north to Scotland, Class 60s on the Grangemouth to Prestwick Airport aviation fuel trains are the subject of Stuart Fowler’s article. Interestingly, this service still runs today and is still frequently hauled by Class 60s, nowadays in the striking livery of Colas Rail. One of our regular contributors, Bob Dunn, explains what made him become a volunteer driver on the Severn Valley Railway. Whilst his day job is hurtling up and down the West Coast Main Line driving ‘Pendolinos’ and ‘Voyagers’, he also delights in helping to maintain and drive preserved Class 50s. After his introductory prototype article in TRACTION 242, Simon George starts a series of articles about his enormous O Scale layout based on Heaton Lodge Junction. Prepare to be impressed by the level of detail and commitment to accuracy that is involved. For those modellers working on a more modest scale Will Thompson explains how he took a Hornby model of a Regional Railways liveried Class 31 and converted it to EM Gauge, detailed it and weathered the model to improve its appearance. The BR Sulzer Type 2s, or as they were later known the Class 24 and 25, are featured in a selection of photographs by Gavin Morrison. Many enthusiasts, including your editor, remember these small and unglamorous locomotives with affection. Colin Boocock continues his series of articles about managing the changes in British Rail’s rolling stock and locomotive maintenance procedures. In this issue’s article he describes an exchange visit between Willesden depot and the Danish State Railways’ depot in Copenhagen and how each railway benefited from sharing ideas and methods. Railtours, with their frequently unusual routes and motive power, have long been popular among enthusiasts. Ray Briscall describes one such tour, ‘The Woldsman’ from Liverpool to Cleethorpes via the Woodhead line and Tinsley Marshalling Yard. I’m sure it will bring back many happy memories of similar tours. Richard MacLennan’s railway career based at Inverness depot gave him plenty of opportunities to get to know at first hand the performance of Class 40s in the Highlands and it’s clear he had a good opinion of them. His article describes his experiences with the ‘40s’ both on and off the footplate.

TRACTION issue 242 is published on Friday 5th October. Read about the contents below. The North & West line, or the Welsh Marches line as it is sometimes called, is one of the slightly neglected main lines of Britain. In TRACTION 240 we looked at the section of the line south from Shrewsbury, but in this issue we take a look at the route further south in David Hayes’ article ‘The North & West through Herefordshire’. In the first of a two part article David looks back at passenger and parcels traffic in the 1980s and early 1990s with a selection of photographs by Phil Baldwin. In our next issue David will look in detail at freight operations on the line. Deanne Baker returns with another account of his school’s railway society outings; this time they venture into Eastern Region territory visiting locations in the Fens and East Anglia. David Ratcliffe presents another selection of images of industrial locomotives, featuring the products of the Scottish firm of Andrew Barclay. Continuing the Eastern Counties theme Mark Brammer recalls the days of Class 31s in the distinctive ‘red stripe’ livery in the Fens around March. Many enthusiasts, including your editor, felt that the locomotives looked really smart in these colours. A locomotive that began its life in East Anglia was the first of the English Electric Types 3s, D6700. Alex Fisher traces the life of this pioneer which of course went to have an interesting career being renumbered first 37119 and then 37350. In this issues main photo feature Gavin Morrison takes us to Cornwall in the late 1970s and 1980s when china clay and clay slurry were conveyed in greater quantities than today. Colin Boocock continues his series of articles about the attempt by British Rail to improve productivity in its maintenance methods. Many of the techniques he helped to implement are a vital part of present day railway operations. In this issue we start a series of articles by Michael Watkins looking at the electric locomotives of the Swiss railways, which will reveal the incredibly long lives that many classes of locomotive had. Returning to Cornwall, Phil Barnes takes a look at the operation of the Chipman’s weed control train on the Gunnislake and Looe branches in 1987. TRACTION MODELLING has an N gauge focus this issue with a superb layout by David Phillips based on Prestatyn on the North Wales Coast Line. This really does take you back to the days of Rail Blue and summer holidays! Andy Gibbs continues the construction of his Kensington Olympia layout with attention moving on to the streets and buildings beyond the railway fence.

TRACTION issue 241 is published on Friday 4th August 2017. Read on for details of this issue's contents. I’m sure that most railway enthusiasts would love to be able to go back in time to experience a day watching past railway operations. For me, without a shadow of doubt, that would be Carlisle at night in the 1970s and 1980s, when the railway was full of mail, newspaper, parcels and sleeping car trains as well as freight traffic. David Hayes decided that he’d probably like to return to South Wales as it was in the late 1990s. His superb images accompany the article about what he saw and photographed. In TRACTION 238 Colin Boocock recalled his time in Western Region management and referred to his unhappiness about the closure of Newton Abbot Diesel Depot. Alex Fisher follows up this theme with his in depth look at the rise and fall of one of the West Country’s major depots. Continuing our look at the West Country, a fifteen year old Steve Randall continues his bike tour along the route of the former Great Western Main Line in search of Class 50s and former GWR signalboxes. He didn’t quite make it to Newton Abbot, turning back for home near Dawlish, but nevertheless clearly had an amazing time. Simon George is building an incredible O Gauge layout based on Heaton Lodge Junction in the 1980s. In the first of what we hope will be a series of articles about the layout, the scene is set with a look at the actual junction both before and after rationalisation. Colin Boocock takes us into the world of maintenance of rolling stock and explains how new management techniques allowed British Rail to dramatically improve both the productivity of workshops and the reliability of motive power. The humble electric multiple unit doesn’t often get much attention from enthusiasts, but Nick Ross has fond memories of the Class 304s (or, as they were originally called, the AM4s) and their time spent working local services in the North West and West Midlands. Gavin Morrison takes us on a trip along the Penistone Line in his latest feature. The line between Huddersfield and Penistone is probably one of the least known railways in the North of England but, with its numerous tunnels and spectacular viaducts, deserves to be better appreciated. In TRACTION MODELLING Andrew Butler describes how his multi-location layout can be changed to represent a station on the West Highland Line. In its BR diesel format, Tulloch Bridge manages to convey much of the atmosphere of the line. Detailing of locomotives is a popular subject among many readers, so Jeff Nicholls has returned to show how he personalised his Dapol Class 08 shunter. The next issue of TRACTION, issue 242, will be on sale on October 6th.

Welcome to the July/ August edition of TRACTION which is published on Friday 2nd June. In this issue Alex Fisher continues his popular series of articles about diesel depots with an in depth account of the history of ‘WIGAN SPRINGS BRANCH DIESEL DEPOT’. G. P. Butler recalls the days of Class 37s and 47s in Railfreight Petroleum livery in ‘RAILFREIGHT PETROLEUM - STANLOW’ and goes into detail about the intriguing names that many of these locomotives carried. Many enthusiasts go to incredible lengths in the pursuit of their interest but few can have undertaken what a fifteen year old Steve Randall did. One summer holiday he set off on a quest to photograph Class 50s and Western Region signal boxes on a ‘WEST OF ENGLAND BIKE TOUR’. Part one of his article is in this issue with part two following in TRACTION 241. In the 1970s it was still possible to travel as a passenger on many of the mail, newspaper and parcels trains that criss-crossed the country at night. Haymarket 64B tells us about his adventures in ‘MAILS, NEWS AND PARCELS TRAINS ON THE EASTERN REGION’ with particular emphasis on the performance of the locomotives hauling the train. Enthusiasts often have a rather romantic idea of life working on the fooplate but in ‘BRASS MONKEYS’, Bob Dunn describes how life in the cabs of diesel locomotives was often far from comfortable. In his photo feature ‘THE WELSH MARCHES LINE IN VIEW’ Gavin Morrison returns with a selection of photographs of the varied trains that operated on this scenic route in the 1970s and 1980s. After working on the Southern Region for some years Colin Boocock decided he needed to take new direction in his management career. He moved to the Western Region and in ‘DIVING INTO DEPOTS’ he tells how his task was to improve productivity in diesel maintenance depots. Like many enthusiasts Andrew Turner took the opportunities that British Rail’s depot open days offered to experience what went on behind the scenes and relives one in ‘TOTON OPEN DAY, 9TH JUNE 1979’. In this issue’s European feature Phil Barnes returns with a selection of his photographs taken in the 1980s and 1990s of ‘PORTUGAL’S FRENCH CONNECTION’. This time he is looking at two classes that were based on French designs. In TRACTION MODELLING Jeff Nicholls tackles what many might think is an easy conversion; modifying a Class 26 into a Class 27. In his constructional article ‘27003 - AN O GAUGE CONVERSION FROM A Heljan CLASS 26’ he finds it’s not as simple as might be imagined. For those of you who claim not to have room for a layout David Collett’s ‘BRIDGE STREET’ might change your mind. He has modelled a grimy shunting yard that reminds him of where he worked in the 1970s.

Sadly I don't have any more photos and the layout went to the tip long ago.

What a super layout this is. Back in the 1980s and 1990s I spent a considerable amount of time working on various East German (and West German) TT layouts. Perhaps you might be interested in a little about one of them. My favourite one was an exhibition layout called Bad Herzberg which was based in the Harz border area of the DDR. Articles about the layout were published in The April 1991 Continental Modeller and in Miniaturbahnen. I've copied the text from CM below: Bad Herzberg A TT terminus, former GDR by Stephen Rabone I STARTED my modelling with Triang TT equipment but, like many others, I changed to the more popular scales of N and HO as the years passed. About eight years ago, however, a friend reintroduced me to TT scale in the form of Berliner Bahnen equipment. I was impressed with the extent of the range and its possibilities so I embarked on a 'sideline' layout. This small layout, 'Bad Steben', has been exhibited in the North East several times over the last few years. However, my growing stock of TT equipment demanded a larger layout. Thus was born 'Bad Herzberg', originally a home-based layout but now converted for exhibition use. Bad Herzberg is a spa town (hence the Bad part of its name) and lies close to the border of the former German Democratic Republic with the Federal Republic of Germany. I certainly did not envisage building a layout that became politically historical almost as soon as it was completed. Having visited the Harz area of Germany, which straddled the border, I was familiar with places such as Bad Harzburg (in the West) and Wernigerode (in the East). The town of Bad Herzberg is supposed to be an amalgam of the two places. Bad Herzberg is imagined to be a terminal station at the junction of two main lines. One heads for Magdeburg and Berlin; the other for Halle and Leipzig. In addition there are several branch lines that link Bad Herzberg to small towns in the Harz area. The basic service operated on the layout allows for passenger traffic to these varied destinations, together with heavy freight traffic (as could be found in the GDR). All the freight trains reverse in the station and, after changing locomotives, are presumed to head off to various destinations both near and far. Having set the background, what about the layout? It is approximately 18 feet long by 16 inches wide, including the storage yard. The scenic section comprises four baseboards of various sizes. These are made of 12mm ply for the trackbase, and 4mm ply for the backscene and front profile boards. Pieces of timber are screwed under the base to provide locating ledges for the adjoining boards. Board alignment is dealt with by my favourite method of knock-down plastic furniture joiners. The whole layout is supported on simple trestles. I decided that I would construct my own track, using the time honoured soldered method. I used SMP N scale point sleeper strip as this gave virtually spot-on sleeper width. The strip was cut to length using a guillotine from my school and was, to say the least, tedious. No doubt SMP would cut it to the correct length if you asked. The position of each rail and sleeper was accurately marked on the baseboard. Double sided Sellotape was laid wherever there was to be track or ballast. The sleepers were laid direct on to this and a fibrous ballast was pressed onto the Sellotape. At point-work I laid the characteristic double sleepers, and also laid some of the imitation point operating wire conduits and cable tensioning mechanisms. The next stage was to redraw the position of the rails, on top of the sleepers, using an overhead projector pen. Finally the rails were soldered in position. Points are operated by the well known wire-in-tube method, with cycle spoke nuts soldered onto the ends of the wires. The rails were carried over the baseboard joints and, after securing to pins at the base edges, gaps were cut allowing the boards to be separated. Once all track and wiring was in place the whole of the baseboard top was sprayed black, followed by various shades of track colour and general gunge. In true East German fashion, weeds were ‘sown’around the track area. I was tempted to copy some I saw at Stendal, but felt that my models might find pushing TT scale weeds out of the way somewhat difficult! As can be seen from the plan, there are four platforms with one carriage siding for the passenger traffic. For freight operations there are three loops plus a fairly large freight shed with loading bank. However, the feature that causes the most interest at exhibitions is the turntable and six-stall roundhouse. I converted a secondhand Fleischmann N scale turntable to 12mm gauge. This is not a job for the fainthearted! Basically it involves removing the turntable locking device and running the motor on straight DC from the layout controller. On top of the 9mm gauge rails, small pieces of brass are soldered. These then form a base for the 12mm gauge rails. The most difficult task is getting the deck tracks to align with those leading away from the turntable pit. I didn't quite succeed in doing this perfectly and some locos tend to wobble a bit when running off the turntable. Surprisingly, the turntable bridge is just long enough to take the largest TT loco I have. There isn't a great deal of room for scenery on the layout but the use of a Faller backscene gives an impression of the layout being more spacious than it is. In the town area I've used cut out photographs from the Vollmer catalogues. The buildings are, perhaps, a little too smart for East Germany but I'm prepared to believe that a massive renovation programme has taken place recently! The buildings on the layout are a mixture of scratchbuilt (roundhouse station awnings and freight depot) or kit-built. The kits come from those intended for N and HO as well as TT. In TT scale one has to be prepared to adapt kits by reducing in size from HO kits. The sanding tower is a cut down Roco model, for instance. I decided to signal the layout properly; the first time I've ever done this. I modified the Berliner Bahnen signals by removing their bases and planting them in holes in the baseboard. PECO point motors, tinplate angle cranks and wire provide the movement of all the main semaphore signals. I did draw the line at making the shunt signals work, although they are present on the layout. A further feature of the layout is the system of uncoupling ramps at every position where this normally occurs during operation. A hole is cut in between the rails and an L-shaped wire is fed from under the baseboard edge and up through the hole. A tinplate ramp is soldered to the upright. The wire is pivoted on a brass tube about one inch from the base edge. Press the wire that sticks out from the baseboard edge and up goes the ramp. All the rolling stock on the layout is from the Berliner Bahnen range with the exception of a few Kruger coaches, and one or two scratch-built or kit built vehicles. Everything has been weathered, close coupled or modified in some way to improve the original. Locomotives are also detailed and weathered. In addition I have undertaken some heavy conversion jobs. For instance a BR86 2-8-2T was rebuilt into a BR64 2-6-2T and two BR35 2-6-2s formed the basis of a BR39 2-8-2. I have also scratchbuilt a BR106 eight wheeled diesel shunter on a modified six wheel chassis. Whilst Berliner Bahnen equipment may not reach the exquisite level of detail to be found in HO, I personally find great satisfaction in improving and modifying the breed. At exhibitions I now operate the layout to a sequence of movements which purports to represent a typical day's operation. It is an extremely involved, 'but satisfying, experience with a vast number of movements; remember that every train has at least to be given a new locomotive. I definitely feel-that the depot's turntable operative earns his wage! The MIBA article is available on line as a colour pdf but obviously with German text which was translated by a friend who worked on the editorial staff of MIBA. The photographs were the same in both articles. The link to it is below. http://steverabone.com/Bad%20Herberg_27.pdf I frequently think about returning to TT (although at the moment I'm modelling in S Scale - 1920s Midland Railway. Incidentally I wonder if your BR64 2-6-2T is the one I modified from an 86. All the models I had were sold to a dealer in, I think, Swindon.

This website has a photo of the signal box which will confirm what type it is - no view of the rear i'm afraid. http://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/educationservice/edu-resources/edu-dcmfiles/dcm_ed_file_railway_oct03.pdf

The method that would have been used for an Up goods would be 1) leave the train in the platform line 2) locomotive to back across the crossover and pull any wagons from the very short siding at the south end of the Down platform across to the Up line and couple up to the train. If there were any wagons in the long layby siding to be collected it would be possible to run round these in the very short loop in front of the signal box. Goods facilities were withdrawn at Dent on 1 October 1964, although I believe they were still used for the odd engineering department's wagons after this and no doubt also for wagons removed from trains with hot axleboxes from time to time. Incidentally the reason the SO southbound working ran later was it was recessed at Appleby and Kirkby Stephen to be overtaken by various expresses and class 4 freights..

In answer to your question about pick up goods trains at Dent in the Summer 1961 WTT the northbound Class K 9:13am Skipton to Carlisle is shown as stopping at Dent from 1.03pm to 1.18pm Mondays to Saturdays. The southbound 8;30am Carlisle to Skipton is shown as stopping "when required" without a time. It was scheduled to leave Garsdale at 2;20pm (SX) and 3.25pm SO and pass Blea Moor at 2:35 or 3:25. The complete freight WTT is on my website in the section about Hellifield at: http://steverabone.com/Hellifield%20Website/freight_working_timetables_for_s.htm The rest of this section of my website may also be of interest to you: http://steverabone.com/Hellifield%20Website/index.html Stephen Rabone

What a fantastic concept to do this in N Scale. A friend of mine is attempting Georgemas Junction in 4mm but in the Highland Railway period. He would like a photo of the rear of the main station building. that's the side away from the track which nobody seems to have photographed. I've managed to get a rather poor shot using Google Streetview - taken from the A9 but I wondered if anybody has a proper photo they could let me have?