johnst

My picture, should be credited.

A Garston Moyse Locotracteur was bought for use at the newly opened Michelin Tyre Factory in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, in the 1920's. I will post details if I can locate them.

I had the same thing on mine. If you bend the pivot bar out a little you can get the axle ends snug in the bearing.

The standard BR Guards vacuum brake valve as fitted to Goods and Passenger vans/compartments.

What about the Bachmann General Electric 45 tonner? It's got excellent slow speed running and they were used all over the US and Canada in Industry and quite a few Shortlines too. This one is working at the National Steel Car works in Hamilton, Ontario, it's one of three owned by the Company.

The 08 certainly looks the part but are the cranks to far out from the axleboxes? On all the pictures of the model there seems to be a brass spacer between the axleboxes and the cranks.Compare the attached enlargements.

Just been watching a couple of the videos of the preproduction 08's, they look very good, but my only worry was that the coupling rods didn't remain horizontal when the locomotive was running. Let's hope that isn't the case with the production models.

Spent some time in the Science Museum in Manchester on Saturday measuring the English Electric battery loco. It is the same type as the Spondon locos but was built in 1944.It was originally at Upper Boat Power Station in South Wales and then went to Back O'th Barn Power Station in Bolton. The loco was originally fitted with a pantograph, but this was removed at Bolton.In 2014 it was fitted with a new set of batteries. The measurements are: Lenght over buffers : 16' 5" Lenght over body : 13' 5" Width o ver body : 6' 9 3/4" Lenght of cab : 4' 5 1/2" Width of cab doorway : 1' 6 5/8" Wheelbase : 7' Wheel diameter : 2' 9 Height : 10' 7" Solebar depth. : 1' Width over bufferbeam : 7' 3 1/4" I have posted some pictures on Flickr, if you search for: EE/Bg 1378/3217 they should come up.

The four wheeled battery and electric locos have always fascinated me.I did measure the Spondon loco at the Foxfield Railway but lost the drawings in a house move some years ago. Drawings of the EE loco built for Blackpool are available from Terry Russell also sells 0 gauge tram fittings such as trolley poles, masts and controllers.His website is www.terryrusselltrans.co.uk

The photo of 68078 is a good guide to the differences to be found on the Austerities and the alterations made to the J94's by LNER/BR : a, 68078 was built by Andrew Barclays and the handrail on the side of the saddle tank is mounted higher than Austerities from the other builders; because of this the extra handgrip above the step is nearer to vertical than the J94's from other builders. b, The handrail pillars on 68078 are made of plain round bar as fitted to the WD 2-8-0s/2-10-0s, these were fitted to all Austerities except those built by Hunslet from late 1944 onwards. c, The footplate steps on 68078 are typical of the thirty J94s that were allocated to the Eastern Region, these were all dealt with by Gorton Works until the late 1950s. If you look closely you will see that the front and rear steps have the ends slightly angled to stop feet from slipping off the step, however, the extra middle steps added by LNER/BR have vertical pieces welded on. This applies to most of the ER based j94s. The fortyfive locos based at ex NER sheds had the vertical pieces added to all the steps. d,Another modification on many of the J94s was the fitting of a smokebox doorstop on the smokebox front, again look closely at the photo of 68078 and you will see two bolts on the edge of the smokebox front near the door hinge where the doorstop was fitted. Austerities built by Hudswell Clarke have another addition which is easily missed, they have two triangular lifting lugs fitted to the tank top, one is fitted between the chimney and the water filler and the other between the dome and the cutout for the whistle. It is well documented that the J94s sent to the Cromford and High Peak section were fitted with oval buffers because of the sharp curves of that route; but the locos allocated to Bidston shed for working in Birkenhead Docks were also fitted with oval buffers.