RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted December 27, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted December 27, 2020 TUNNEL VISIONS (4) We don't have to wait too long for another express to appear, this time heading for Paddington, ex-Plymouth, with 5041 Tiverton Castle in charge, and a Siphon G attached. Not long after it disappears out of sight the down home goes 'off' again, and 6801 Aylburton Grange emerges from the tunnel with a down parcels service. Beneath the grime we can see that the Grange has recently received its copper-capped chimney, in place of the cast iron job with which it was originally outshopped. John C. 30 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KNP Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 Nice set of pictures. Great trainspotting area... 8 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted December 28, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted December 28, 2020 TUNNEL VISIONS (5) The parcels is followed by a down local to Plymouth headed by 5975 Winslow Hall, slowing for its scheduled stop at Stoke C. One or two equine passengers on board today perhaps. As it moves out of vision a Penzance - Wolves express appears from behind it heading for the tunnel, with 4018 Knight of the Grand Cross in charge. John C. 26 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KNP Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 Hang on, to quick. I need to get the numbers down and my pencil's broken. OK, what was the last one? 6 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgman Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 1 minute ago, KNP said: Hang on, to quick. I need to get the numbers down and my pencil's broken. OK, what was the last one? Put that bottle of Tizer down and pay attention ! 1 8 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted December 28, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted December 28, 2020 (edited) TUNNEL VISIONS (6) Now we see 2819 about to disappear into the tunnel with its train of empty PO wagons returning to the South Wales coalfields. But keep your pencils at the ready - the down home signal has just dropped again! And it's 5000 Launceston Castle on a down Plymouth express. The second vehicle is an E73 55 foot clerestory compo. John C. Edited December 28, 2020 by checkrail 25 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponthir28 Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 I am getting tunnel vision 2 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Limpley Stoker Posted December 28, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 28, 2020 That was worth travelling out of Tier 3 for! 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted December 28, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted December 28, 2020 TUNNEL VISIONS (7) We don't have to wait too long after that to see another pannier, this time 3603 of the 8750 class, with an up goods consisting mainly of open wagons. The one behind the loco is a steel-sided type, dia. O30. John C. 26 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Harlequin Posted December 28, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 28, 2020 Do you remember little Jimmy Scants? I think he was in the class below you and his knees were always grazed so everyone called him "Scabby" Scants. He squeezed under the fence on the same day and he brought his daddy's Agfa 44. Even though the train was moving quite fast he managed to get this: 9 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold checkrail Posted December 28, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 28, 2020 41 minutes ago, Harlequin said: Even though the train was moving quite fast he managed to get this: That's great Phil. Given the 30s theme I was wondering whether one of these shots might look good in b & w, and if so which one. Think you've decided it for me. Thanks, John. 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 88C Posted December 28, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 28, 2020 Thanks John for all these recent photos, we really have been spoiled. Brian 6 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted December 28, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted December 28, 2020 TUNNEL VISIONS (8) The action continues as we spot small prairie tank 5557 emerging from the tunnel with a cattle train, although on closer inspection it seems the wagons are empty. John C. 27 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted December 29, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted December 29, 2020 TUNNEL VISIONS (9) At last another big express loco to add to our tally. 6019 King Henry V heads towards Paddington with a train from Penzance. The leading coach is only a couple of years or so old, being a low-waisted D121 van third built in 1936. Nearly time to go home but we tell ourselves we'll wait for one more train. John C. 22 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium St Enodoc Posted December 29, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 29, 2020 43 minutes ago, checkrail said: Nearly time to go home but we tell ourselves we'll wait for one more train. Always! 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted December 29, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted December 29, 2020 (edited) TUNNEL VISIONS (10) And just before we drag ourselves away here comes small prairie 4574 returning two NA Toads back towards Hackney Yard. Well, we've had a good day, seen some interesting trains and added a few more numbers to our books. Now we'd better get home in time for tea before our mothers start to wonder where we are. John C. Edited December 29, 2020 by checkrail typo 19 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold gwrrob Posted December 29, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 29, 2020 Always leave the audience wanting more. MORE ! 1 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgman Posted December 29, 2020 Share Posted December 29, 2020 18 minutes ago, gwrrob said: Always leave the audience wanting more. MORE ! We're waiting ! 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted January 6, 2021 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted January 6, 2021 After the excitement and action of the last few scenes here's a quieter moment in the yard as cattle wait to be loaded under the eye of the farmer and his stock man. John C. 30 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted January 6, 2021 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted January 6, 2021 Here's something that arrived just before Christmas - a new Oxford Rail tank wagon. Thought I'd better have one, though I'm not sure how authentic, or otherwise, the livery is. But looks good and makes a nice contrast to the later type of tank wagon as per the Bachman model. As usual with OR wagons there were a couple of modifications required. The couplings are always much too long, leaving about half a wagon length between vehicles (Ok, I exaggerate a bit!). There was no way to shorten them other than to saw the coupling mounting blocks off the underframe and replace with Peco/Parkside versions and short Bachmann TLs. The other thing I don't like is the shiny wheelsets, but as I fished out some Alan Gibsons to replace them a vague memory re-surfaced that this was not as straightforward as it seemed. When I put the Gibsons in, only for them immediately to fall out again, it came back to me. The OR axles are a bit longer than other makes. Easy, I thought, I'll bung the Gibson wheels on the OR axles. Then the second bit came back to me - the OR axles are slimmer, giving the Gibsons a very sloppy fit indeed - the axles hardly touch the inside of the holes. It was solved by holding the wheels and axles in a b-to-b gauge and applying a bit of cyano to the inside where axle goes through wheel. Here's the wagon in a train with the Bachmann tank for comparison. Two nice models giving a bit of variety. John C. 33 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold checkrail Posted January 10, 2021 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 10, 2021 The '"year of the coach" has slipped into 2021, with the last items in the programme*, three Slater's toplights, still on the workbench. Work is proceeding but, to paraphrase Hirohito, "not necessarily to Stoke Courtenay's advantage". For some reason I'm finding these much more difficult than previous ones. I've just spent three-quarters of an hour trying to locate and cement the first grab handle (of 44) without success, only for it to finally ping off the tweezers and disappear for ever. Though not before leaving scarring and glue stains on the coach side. Time to do something else and return to them later. * Well, they're not quite the last. As others have said it was disappointing that no further Collett bow-end types featured in Hornby's 2021 plans (though one must admit they've treated us in recent years), so I've just ordered Comet brass sides for a rebuilt H33 restaurant car from Wizard Models. (I cut out and kept the excellent May 2016 article in RM by@westernerof this parish, which will be very useful guidance.) John C. 7 1 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold gwrrob Posted January 10, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 10, 2021 On 06/01/2021 at 22:30, checkrail said: As usual with OR wagons there were a couple of modifications required. The couplings are always much too long, leaving about half a wagon length between vehicles (Ok, I exaggerate a bit!). There was no way to shorten them other than to saw the coupling mounting blocks off the underframe and replace with Peco/Parkside versions and short Bachmann TLs. A tip I've found with these OR tank wagons is to remove the coupling including their wedge shaped adaptor and replace it with Hornby's similar X 6354 and then a short Bachmann TL will fit. 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold checkrail Posted January 10, 2021 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 10, 2021 Have just made a short video of 5557 arriving at Stoke C. with the branch train from Earlsbridge, to demonstrate the 'Brian Kirby' coupling modification in action. It was done in response to @Chris Chewterfollowing recent posts on his lovely 'Tetbury' layout, but perhaps others might be interested. (The footbridge was temporarily removed for clarity.) The next pic shows the section of track which has the magnets underneath the ballast. (The ballast isn't quite as neat as elsewhere so I rather think this might be a location where I installed or re-positioned the magnets after ballasting the track.) John C. 19 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted January 21, 2021 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted January 21, 2021 (edited) Went up to the loft yesterday morning to find a strange mushroom cloud over Stoke Courtenay. Water from the current heavy rain seems to have seeped into a purlin and dripped down the plywood backscene where it does a reverse curve to accommodate the chimney breast. My guess is it's the lead flashing. Now waiting for local roof repair man to attend. I'm on a list of jobs he's got! Looked again this morning after a snowy night. Seems to have dried up, with only a tiny amount of moisture in the plastic box I'd put on the loft floor to catch the drips. Could have been so much worse. One or two trees against the backscene are a bit soggy, but otherwise nothing's gone onto the track, the electrics or scenic surfaces. Once the roof's repaired it'll be out with the 'Atlantic Mist' paint again. Now back to the toplights. Some day my buffers will come. John C. Edited January 21, 2021 by checkrail 27 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Harlequin Posted January 21, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 21, 2021 Think of it this way: If you weren't visiting the loft regularly you wouldn't have noticed the problem until it had become much, much worse! I hope the trees that have been watered don't start growing faster than all the others... 4 2 3 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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