Waveydavey

Replacement doors with the window filled in and the door handles relocated are available as spares from Howes. Cheers David

You beat me to it Madam Chairman. I was just about to spread the good news about the hoppers. Cheers David

The slope of the roof looks about right. I have a part done conversion that I started back in the 80s that used the cast white metal roof domes from the Craftsman conversion kit. They are very poor shape wise and need considerable filing to get them looking anywhere near right.

The photos I took aren't really worth posting as they are mainly just the end of the measuring tape in the various window openings with your ugly mug in the background. I am quite happy to share the dimensions with anyone who is interested. There are, I think, two 24s at Grosmont so I may have to arrange a trip down there with a measuring tape unless someone else has beaten me to it. Cheers David

Just having another look at this after seeing your 24 thread. Opening up the cab side windows has really made a difference to the look of the loco. Having measured the windows on a 25/1 cab recently it's quite an eye opener as to how undersized the Hornby windows are. Cheers David

Do you mean Kirkleatham Mark?

If only you knew someone who gets to Tyne yard on a regular basis for work Phil.......... I'm sure Lippy already has these wagons covered but if not I can record them next time I am there in daylight. Cheers David

There is a nightly service from Low Fell, presumably to London. The 325 heads out after dark and is back in Tyne before daylight.

The bolsters on vac braked bogie bolster Cs are completely different to the ones on the model. They are however ok for earlier unfitted BR builds. The later pattern of bolster are fairly easy to model using some Evergreen I section strip topped with another bit of rectangular section strip. If it's not clear from the diagram in BR Wagons I can dig out the dimensions I used on mine. I think I got them from an article on bogie bolster E wagons in an old Model Railway Constructor.

I remember Bill Paul from my rostering days at Thornaby. He said he'd been a tail gunner in Lancasters during the war. Nice bloke.

7660 looks like a very nice job there. My own 25/3 uses the centre section of a Bachmann body including the cab doors with Silver Fox cab ends. Cheers David

Nice work there. I had come to the conclusion that the way forward with P4 conversion on these was to get a mate with a lathe to turn down the Hornby wheels to a P4 profile. Good to see someone taking a different approach. Just thinking it through from my own limited experience of Hornby 31s, if you filed off the pin points (and arranged new pickups) would the bogie baseplate not hold the axles in mesh well enough and allow a bit of movement to cope with P4 track? Having the wheels running in pin point bearings might make everything a little too rigid. Talking to Ian 'Penbits' recently he said it looked like Hornby had looked at springing the bogies of the 31and 50 but had backed out at the last minute. Cheers David

I've been working on the railway for 27 years and I've never heard a professional railwayman refer to a set of points as a turnout. Only snooty railway modellers seem to use the term. Cheers David

Late LMS and all the BR built vans of this type had four shoe per wheel brakes. The changeover is mentioned in one or both of the articles I referred to earlier in this thread. I'm at work at the moment so can't give a definite answer but it would be around the point when the duckets and weight boxes changed. There may be etched 4 shoe brake gear available but I am not aware of any apart from the ones that I assume are included in Dave Bradwells LNER brake van chassis. On my BR built van that runs on Rountrees Sidings I used brake shoes salvaged from an old Airfix LNER pattern brake van kit as recommended in Ian Flemings article. Cheers David

If you go for a prototype with the shallow ballast box Dave you'll more than likely need to change the duckets to the narrower early style too. Luckily Parkside will sell you them as a seperate moulding from their D.1659 brake van kit (PC49). I did this on a van I ran on Longcarse West and although I felt the need to reduce the height of the window opening to match photos they were otherwise a perfect fit. There have been two very good articles on the LMS/BR Stanier brake van which are worth searching out. Modellers Back Track Feb/March 1994 has an article on the prototype by Paul Bartlett BRM July 96 has an article by Ian Fleming on modelling these vans in 4mm using the Airfix/Hornby model as a base. Cheers David

I am looking for a Hornby 31 chassis for a Lima/Hornby hybrid build so if anyone has a broken but working one that they don't feel able to send back to Hornby let me know. Doesn't matter to me how bad the Mazak decay is as I can build all the good bits into the Lima chassis like James Wells did on here a few years back. All the better if it's got EM or P4 conversion wheelsets fitted. Cheers David

Not strictly true Jack. Wagons and coaches built to P4 standards can easily run on EM or OO track with a quick swap of wheelsets due to the standard 26mm long axle but it doesn't always work the other way if brake gear has been set for OO wheels. When I went P4 I had quite a few OO Gibson wheelsets left spare which I've reset to EM back to backs so that my stock can also run on the EM layout I'm involved with 'Roundtrees Sidings'. Even the diesels are easily swapped although I will concede it may be a bit more involved for steamers. Cheers David

I'd have to say I'd agree with your club member as it's the conclusion I came to before I started building Longcarse West and if I can do P4 anyone can. However, it's your train set and not mine so I'll happily sit back and enjoy reading how you get on with the build. Cheers David P.S. 100 items of stock isn't all that much and you don't have to convert it all at once.

Or possibly 'Stop and Telephone' or 'Stop and Proceed if Line Clear' The signal you've been talking about Clive would have to be a permanent red with a sub as there could possibly be traffic on the reception road the train would be arriving onto. A main aspect indicates the line is clear to the next signal but a sub indicates you can proceed but be prepared to stop short of any obstruction. The sub would also be approach lit (never say that to a railway inspector though) so as to control the speed of the trains arrival onto the receptions. The thinking behind this is that if you bring a train almost to a stand before letting it onto a siding it's unlikely to come charging into the yard at 25mph and coming off on the pointwork or running into the back of anything. Hope this helps. Cheers David

Good work Mark. Don't forget the vac cylinders varied in position too depending on which type of bogie was fitted. Cheers David

Having lengthened a Wrenn grain hopper to the correct length I'm now very pleased that I'll never have to do it again. Longcarse West really needed a lot of 1/271 hoppers and so will it's replacement. I'll look forward to only having to change buffers and axleboxes around on the Bachmann ones for a bit of variety and start preparing for some scary looking weathering. Cheers David

Ladders and walkways are available from, I think, RT Models. Masokits make a replacement sprung chassis but it retains the kits solebars which IMHO are the worst bit of the kit Shawplan have been working on an all singing and dancing chassis and dress up kit but don't hold your breath waiting for it. Replacement buffers should be 2' Oleos or Dowtys with 16" heads depending on your prototype. Lanarkshire Models may do a suitable buffer but I'm not completely familiar with their range. Cheers David

I used Smiths hooks and links with the instanter links from Ambis. The hooks are massively overscale but to me are a good compromise for an exhibition layout. With a properly shaped shunters pole you have a good chance of coupling up first time. Cheers David

Good to see the conversation has moved on from my rusty starfish Excellent modelling and attention to detail as always James. I always view your work as the benchmark I have to reach to become a proper P4 modeller. Cheers David