mardle

I am pretty sure that the only thing "retooled" about the Thompson BG is the chassis. The body looks the same one that has been around for years. If I am right, the price seems somewhat excessive!!

Does anyone know when the revised position of the roof lights on the maroon vehicles was introduced ? Was the original position of the lights in the middle of the spaces between the roof ribs or towards the ends ?

I think the early Cliffe Uddingstone trains used the Gloucesterversion exclusively so anyone modelling the ECML (me!) who wants the train should be interested - another 25 for me please !!

Are there any plans to produce the Gloucester version ?

J50 on the ECML I seem to remember in one of Eric sawford's books a picture of a J50 light engine on a Sunday taking water at Huntingdon on it's way to Doncaster for scrapping I think. I have also seen at least one photo of a Hornsey J50 on Doncaster MPD post overhaul so presumably it will have gone back to Hornsey light engine

Still looks to me that Thane of Fife has cab droop! Looking at gordon s photo of the right hand side of the loco, the cab side horizontal hand rail is certainly not parallel with the boiler handrails and slopes downwards to the rear. Pity Hornby didn't sort this out given all the comments about it before the production models arrived.

Thanks Tony, very helpful.

The Tees Thames - carriage destination boards A request for some help please. I am about to order some carriage destination boards for my model of the up Tees Thames express that I run on Stoke Summit but I have a question. The real train obviously carried Tees Thames boards but I seem to think that it also carried Kings Cross - Saltburn boards and possibly also Kings Cross - Middlesbrough ones, which may have been combined to Kings Cross - Middlesbrough - Saltburn ones. Although I saw the train many times in the early 60s. I am afraid my memory draws a blank as to what the coach boards were. Any help would be very appreciated.

Just to show that Stoke Summit is alive and well, here is D9013 “The Black Watch” on 1A16 the down Flying Scotsman passing Stoke Box . Apologies for the poor photo quality as I took it on an iPhone as I wanted to post it on a Facebook group where someone had posted a photo of the real loco, train and headboard waiting to leave Kings Cross

Hi Ernie, Just out of interest how, did you ferret around the J M Boyes scans? John Boyes and I were school friends but I lost touch with him many years ago and then quite recently discovered that he had died. Geoff Hodson

Hi Fran, What sort of level of interest/orders would you need to consider making the Gloucester version? Cheers, Geoff Hodson

Almost all the photographic evidence I have of the Cliffe - Uddingstone train in 61/62/63 suggests that it was almost exclusively Gloucester built wagons. This covers both steam and SR diesel haulage

Biggleswade & Stoke Summit At the risk of sounding greedy, I am the current custodian of both Biggleswade & Stoke Summit. I acquired Biggleswade some years ago with the intention of erecting it in one of the barns on my farm on Dartmoor. Unfortunately, the planners from Dartmoor National Park had other ideas and so it was only partly erected in another already converted barn which at 30x10 was much smaller than the 45x15 needed for Biggleswade. A move was on the cards a few years ago so I anticipated being able to erect a custom built shed, rather like Tony did for LB. Family circumstances have meant a delay on the move but hopefully it will occur next year. In the meantime, when Stoke Summit became available, I couldn't resist as it fitted perfectly into my 30x10 barn and that is where it sits today with the majority of Biggleswade stored underneath it. Both layouts are in excellent condition and Stoke Summit operates (almost) faultlessly. I have managed to stock Stoke Summit with some 38 complete trains - a mixture of ready to run and kit built (a few locos and quite a few wagons). I will try and post some up to date photos when I have time and my photography improves!! Geoff Hodson

Attached is a photo of 68987 which I took in April 1962 in the scrap lines at Doncaster Works. At least it shows the electrification flashes on the left side of the loco. Geoff Hodson

I notice that Howes are already advertising a range of 02 spares including a sprue with both side window and GN style cabs. Geoff Hodson

Sent the following info to Tony this morning and thought it might be useful to others. 1A37 12.40 from Newcastle to KX "The Northumbrian" (from winter 62/63 WTT) 1E04 07.29 from Bradford, o7.50 from Leeds to KX (from winter 62/63 WTT) 1A13 07.45 from Sunderland to KX (from winter 62/63 WTT) 1L59 16.05 KX to Cleethorpes (from winter 62/63 WTT) 1A31 was, I believe, the 11.00 from Newcastle to KX via Stockton in the early 60s but I don't have a 67 WTT 1A30 14.00 KX to Edinburgh (from winter 62/63 WTT) 1E10 11.34 from Harrogate, 11.39 from Bradford to KX (from winter 63/64 WTT) 1A03 07.50 from Newcastle to KX (from winter 62/63 WTT) 1A66 20.20 from KX to Edinburgh (from winter 61/62 WTT) 1G60 11.20 KX to Sheffield "The Sheffield Pullman" (from winter 63/64 WTT) 1N10 10.20 KX to Leeds/Bradford/Hull (from winter 61/62 WTT) 1E08 10.07 from Harrogate, 10.15 from Bradford to KX "The Yorkshire Pullman" (from winter 61/62 WTT) 1N21 15.20 KX to Leeds/Bradford (from winter 63/64WTT) 1L60 18.50 KX to Cleethorpes (from winter 63/64 WTT) 1A01 07.45 from York to KX (from winter 63/64 WTT) I think the above is accurate but I stand to be corrected! Geoff Hodson

It seems that the headcodes on D6577 are for the up and down Cliffe - Uddingstone cement trains from the 1960s!! Let us hope that someone produces an accurate wagon sometime soon - the old Triang ones are almost impossible to convert to a reasonable representation. I would love to run a complete train on "Biggleswade". Geoff Hodson

The photo above is Aberdeen in the mid 60s. It was on the cover/back cover of one of Geoff Kent's books on wagon modelling. Geoff Hodson

I should have been a bit clearer - it is a class 02 ex GNR/LNER 2-8-0. It is reported that they intend to offer all the various options of cabs, buffer beams, tenders etc. Geoff Hodson

It has been reported on the LNER Forum that Heljan are going to produce an LNER Tango 2-8-0 in all it's forms for delivery in 2014. Fantastic news! Geoff Hodson

Biggleswade is now resident on southern Dartmoor. I purchased it from the original builders and picked it up from Roy Jacksons home where it had been in store - and got a chance to view hisamazing "Retford". Unfortunately, due to planning problems I have not been able to convert one of my barns to give Biggleswade a new permanent home, but it has been partially erected in a smaller barn. It is still fully operational and the barn is heated so it is being kept in good condition. I am hoping to move next year and one of the top priorities is a permanent home for the layout - at least the delay has allowed me to build up my stock so I can hopefully fill the enormous fiddleyard!! When I picked up the layout from Roys and met the original builders, it turned out that one of them had been a member of Middlesbrough Model Railway Club at the same time as I was back in the mid 60s and we even recognised each other!! Geoff Hodson

It looks as if "Tudor Minstrel" is suffering the same fate with regard to it's sloping cab as some of Bachmann's A1s. Two out of my three A1s suffered the same problem. I think on the prototype that the cab and tender footsteps should line up whereas on the model they do not. I managed to correct one of my A1s with some packing, but the other defied any attempt to put it right - the mazak footplate not helping! Geoff Hodson

A couple of photos of 67755 at Stockton Station in summer 1961. Geoff Hodson