Springsbury Croft.'O' gauge 1977-'87 era depot.

[CME and Bottlewasher]

Whole hardheadedly agreed Marc.

[JamesGWR101]

2 hours ago, marc smith said:

James - I too would like to see this at an exhibition. However, they can be hard work - all that preparation, weekends away from home, time away from family, friends & work etc etc. That said, they can also be a great way of meeting other like-minded folk, and it can be quite flattering to chat to someone who likes what you've done.

If you do decide to exhibit it Bob - please let us know. I'm sure there are quite a number of us who would like to see Springsbury Croft

Over the past years, I've helped out at loads of model railway exhibitions including previous Bridlington model railway shows and others including the recent York show and one at Wetwang (or was it Fimber?) village hall a couple of years ago. I enjoy helping out at model railway shows but it can be tiring as I have found out.

 

 

I'm going to be exhibiting Draxbridge (my n gauge layout) at the BARMATES show on 25th May. It's going to be my layout's very first exhibition and, hopefully, it will go well.

 

 

i just hope that the two Class 31s are up to the job of running all day...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Crisis Rail]

3 hours ago, marc smith said:

James - I too would like to see this at an exhibition. However, they can be hard work - all that preparation, weekends away from home, time away from family, friends & work etc etc. That said, they can also be a great way of meeting other like-minded folk, and it can be quite flattering to chat to someone who likes what you've done.

If you do decide to exhibit it Bob - please let us know. I'm sure there are quite a number of us who would like to see Springsbury Croft

 

....maybe Kendal? or Preston? - both "up the road" Yes - would be good to see SC 

[Owd Bob]

A few pics' as i promised earlier this week, better late etc but its been very dull & wet up here all week, it was very dark in the spare room until 2.00pm today when the Sun finally came out. Managed to get all six of my locos' out ..........at these prices who could afford many more  My wish list is small....it has to be 

Loco' collection so far.                         Still would like.

25 235.   08 129.  40 015.                        08 126.  37 427. Bont Y Bermo.  47 ???

25 302.    08130.   40 129.                       08 815.  56 076. Blythe Power.   47 ???

 

Edited May 11, 2019 by Owd Bob
added info'

[jcarta]

This layout just gets better every time I visit ...... If you close your eyes I'm sure you can smell and hear the loco's 

 

Great modelling

 

Jim

[Banger Blue]

2 hours ago, Owd Bob said:

Loco' collection so far.                         Still would like.

25 235.   08 129.  40 015.                        08 126.  37 427. Bont Y Bermo.  47 ???

25 302.    08130.   40 129.                       08 815.  56 076. Blythe Power.   47 ???

 

 

How about 47539 “Rochdale Pioneers” for one of the 47s, Crewe Diesel based and certainly seemed a permanent fixture around the North West.

 

love those pictures above, certainly ticks all my boxes, grimy BR Blue Rats & 40s! 

[CME and Bottlewasher]

Captures it all perfectly, superb!

[Owd Bob]

Thanks chaps i have a few more pics' to post from yesterdays efforts, since this site was overhauled i can now only post four pics' at once at the most, but that could be my own fault for not knowing owt about comps' or camera settings Thanks Banger Blue any 47 i could get would be either a CD or BS loco' By looking back in my 76-77 shed book i can only see a few 47's underlined which i spotted at SP  and these are mainly from these two home depots, it looks like a lot of low numbered 47's were being re-numbered into the 500's around that time. I do have a few low numbered likely candidates in mind i could choose from that i saw back then these being 015, 034, 051,110, 120 136, 178, 195, and 197. It all depends if i have the period photos of any of these loco's from that late '70's era to copy any details from.  

 

[Owd Bob]

Finally got the roof tiling finished last evening and just etch primed it. The stone Castle type tower and some chimney pots are next to add.

 

[77philg]

  what about a class 37? were they around sp?   phil

[Crisis Rail]

8 hours ago, Owd Bob said:

Thanks chaps i have a few more pics' to post from yesterdays efforts, since this site was overhauled i can now only post four pics' at once at the most, but that could be my own fault for not knowing owt about comps' or camera settings Thanks Banger Blue any 47 i could get would be either a CD or BS loco' By looking back in my 76-77 shed book i can only see a few 47's underlined which i spotted at SP  and these are mainly from these two home depots, it looks like a lot of low numbered 47's were being re-numbered into the 500's around that time. I do have a few low numbered likely candidates in mind i could choose from that i saw back then these being 015, 034, 051,110, 120 136, 178, 195, and 197. It all depends if i have the period photos of any of these loco's from that late '70's era to copy any details from.  

 

 

Quality images these Bob - Quality.....

 

Ian

[CME and Bottlewasher]

Very nice indeed mate!

[Owd Bob]

Not many 37's around here in the '70's, if so then Phil' i never had the luck to see any around SP. Plenty did start to turn up in the early '80's though, My choice for the 37 i want to model is for other reasons, mainly i love Barmouth and that whole area, and luckily i saw the loco' 37 427 in large logo' a lot around here, and once actually at Barmouth station back in the 1980's on a pass' whilst i was on my weeks Summer hols' It just became one of my faves' or should i say one of those locos' that seemed to stalk/follow me wherever i went. Funny how some locos seemed to do that, 40 106 and the 'ice cream van' class 25 did the same, i was so sick of seeing those two that i never bothered taking many pics' of them Not long to wait now until the boat from China arrives with a said model 37/4.  

Two bad pics' of mine of 40 106 in ex' B.R. condition taken in the first week of preservation at the GCR. Loughborough.

Afterthought! These pics' might make a good 'New beginnings theme Cake box entry' for someone. Anyone got a third of a '00' class 40 doing nowt! 

Edited May 12, 2019 by Owd Bob
added info'

[CME and Bottlewasher]

BTW a few others have complained about the new site too. Perhaps tptb want us to buy the 'gold' version?

[Owd Bob]

Seems so! CME Maybe we should go make our own Gold member version complete with an home made 'dangler' medallion in 'Granville' style from a Cocoa tin lid and a bath chain! 

[alastairq]

I've been sat here thinking, by 'eck, Owd Bob, you've got some nicely done oil drums there......then I realised......

[CME and Bottlewasher]

These are plastic ones, LOL!

[marc smith]

More superb photos Bob. Great stuff. Makes me want to get out my old locoshed and start underlining numbers
There'd be quite a few "cops" for me, on a visit to Springsbury Croft

PS. Many of us were almost sick of the sight of 37's around this neck of the woods
But oh, how we love it when they visit now

Edited May 13, 2019 by marc smith

[Owd Bob]

Thanks Marc. I loved the 37's in Blue with the full Yellow wrap around the buffs before they cut the lower corner bits off, i saw plenty of the really filthy often double-headed 37's at Severn Tunnel and at the South wales depots on a few visits i made, sadly i can't find my negs' or prints from these trips. I liked the large logo' livery put on them later it suited the loco's size & shape well  but when they did a cl.40 in the large logo at Bury i.m.o. it looked awful.  But i'll make any excuse for posting some pics'

[marc smith]

I think I preferred both 37's and 40's with the buffer-beam "skirts", but I agree - I think their removal suited the 37's a bit more
Not sure why I think this, as they're both so very similar looking locos.

It was actually a triple headed 37 on the South Wales Iron Ore trains that fired up my interest.
I had dabbled a little before that, dipping in & out of interest, with some long-term loco spotting pals (I had a small notebook, not very well organised, and no locoshed book) - but the sight, sound and incredible vibrations, on a very flimsy old tatty bridge over the South Wales main line really got me interested

Edited May 13, 2019 by marc smith

[woodenhead]

4 minutes ago, marc smith said:

I think I preferred both 37's and 40's with the buffer-beam "skirts", but I agree - I think their removal suited the 37's a bit more
Not sure why I think this, as they're both so very similar looking locos.

It was actually a triple headed 37 on the South Wales Iron Ore trains that fired up my interest.
I had dabbled a little before that, dipping in & out of interest, with some long-term loco spotting pals (I had a small notebook, not very well organised, and no locoshed book) - but the sight, sound and incredible vibrations, on a very flimsy old tatty bridge over the South Wales main line really got me interested

Class 40s didn't have a skirt

 

The buffers were on the bogies

[Owd Bob]

I was never lucky enough to see the cl.37 triple headers Marc, i remember seeing pics' of them though in the 'Railway Magazine' long before that new mag' 'Rail Enthusiast' came out with its free sew on patches, and Wow! How good was that mag' compared to the others when it first came out to us spotters  Woodenhead i think the tumblehome on the 37's sides help its looks a lot.

           Surprising just how big buildings can get in this scale, i had to take them outside to glue the three together onto a 6ft. long piece of stripwood. This row of buildings can now be slotted and hung along the back of the layout and is easily removable as one whole piece.

 

 

[Barnaby]

Fantastic work Bob & a great tidy looking garden too.

 

Best

[Owd Bob]

Cheers Barnaby, it's all fake in the grass dept' with cheap off cuts patched together, the shrub bed is all new and recent, all plants etc came from my now demolished garden railway part of the garden, they have taken well in such a short time, not surprising really as its on the site of an old Chicken run, so it's well manured. Funny that there's no Rats in that pic' we are overrun with them at the mo'  local scum living in the street fly tipped a load of bin bags last week, still waiting for the Council to shift it....two Foxes were fighting over it last night We try our best to stay normal on a pretty rough Council estate, just cos' we live in Council houses do'snt mean we are all low life scum bags or have to act that way.....but most around here do and are Feck knows what they'll do without the Jeremy Kyle show....most of 'em have been on it and the others were on the waiting list. 

[Owd Bob]

Not made much progress for a while but i have bought a few bits to sort out for when i really get in the mood again. Bought some quarter inch diam' tube and some laddering to make the yard lamps, i'm just now waiting for the cheap working lights for the tops to arrive from China. I made and then painted the stripes on some bi-folding doors for the loco' shed from plastic card , they are yet to be weathered up and the shed still needs some interior detailing adding before i can finally stick it all together. I got my first White metal kit from my local model shop, a hopper wagon for storing away in the depot, after removing flash and cleaning the parts up the chassis went together ok and has since been filed and filled and a few bits bent straighter, but putting the hopper parts together look like fun...not!