Trainspotting at Little Benton Sidings, Newcastle.

[Brian D]

23 hours ago, rowanj said:

The layout has reverted to its' natural NE habitat, as the G5 takes the ancient rake of ex-NER stock, probably a workman's special, to Newcastle. 

 

The Hornby 110 is a recent purchase. The class occasionally got to Newcastle from York, but my intention/hope is to convert it to a 4 -car set ( I know, I need another car) Class 104 which was far more common.  This conversion has been done a good few times over the years, and seems to need either a  modicum of work to make a "layout" loco representation, or a fair bit of work to get a more accurate one. The intention is to pick up another 3 car set and eventually have a 4-car and 2-car set, both of which are appropriate to Little Benton and hopefully can be run in tandem

 

 

The Class 110 pic prompted me to dig out my own set purchased way back in 2005 and never run on Deneside and probably not run much at all in the last ten years.  First application of the controller brought no response at all but a shove improved matters and a wheel clean and a few running in trips back and forth brought about acceptable smooth and responsive running, see below.

 

 

I had already cut off the big couplings but the bare buffer beams need loads of pipework fitted and I need to close couple and add paper corridor connectors.  Thanks for inspiring me to look again at the 110.

 

Regards,

Brian.

[rowanj]

Thanks to Clive Mortimore, I have been pointed in the right direction to get the 110 to a 104, so here it is on test after the heavy work has been done, The brake has been removed from the Motor Open Brake 2nd (DMBS), and "swapped" with the 1st Class part of what was the Trailer Comp (TCL). The photo shows the result. As Clive suggested, I moved the Ringfield motor and the bogie with pickups into the TBSL just to add a bit of concealment.

I have a couple of Silver Fox 104 cab fronts on order, which will complete the job sufficiently to make it clear what type of DMU this is. I hope to be able to get away with merely adding the top/destination box ,reducing the need to do a repaint.

I hate the interiors, and may have a go at them, and I'll add some pipework to the buffers.

In the opposite direction, A2 Hornets Beauty heads for Edinburgh on a relief to The Heart of Midlothian. The loco is DJH on an SEF chassis, which I built to replace the DJH one which I had cocked up.

[Sandhole]

5 hours ago, rowanj said:

Thanks to Clive Mortimore, I have been pointed in the right direction to get the 110 to a 104, so here it is on test after the heavy work has been done, The brake has been removed from the Motor Open Brake 2nd (DMBS), and "swapped" with the 1st Class part of what was the Trailer Comp (TCL). The photo shows the result. As Clive suggested, I moved the Ringfield motor and the bogie with pickups into the TBSL just to add a bit of concealment.

I have a couple of Silver Fox 104 cab fronts on order, which will complete the job sufficiently to make it clear what type of DMU this is. I hope to be able to get away with merely adding the top/destination box ,reducing the need to do a repaint.

I hate the interiors, and may have a go at them, and I'll add some pipework to the buffers.

In the opposite direction, A2 Hornets Beauty heads for Edinburgh on a relief to The Heart of Midlothian. The loco is DJH on an SEF chassis, which I built to replace the DJH one which I had cocked up.

Do you email Silver Fox for those cab fronts?

[rowanj]

Sandhole..I got them from the Silver Fox EBay page.. If all goes well, Ill use another pair to form a 2 car set.

 

 

Edited December 17, 2020 by rowanj

[Sandhole]

13 hours ago, rowanj said:

Sandhole..I got them from the Silver Fox EBay page.. If all goes well, Ill use another pair to form a 2 car set.

 

 

Thanks very much, I'll have a look.

[rowanj]

Class 104 heads for Newcastle on a SO Alnwick turn, DMU's having taken over from the last D20's which were based at Alnmouth for these workings. DMU's on Newcastle trains were the only scheduled diesels on services between Alnwick and Alnmouth, with the shuttle service between the two on the 5-mile branch to the ECML steam -hauled until the end. I only went once as a young lad to Alnwick Station, and was disappointed to see only a DMU in the platforms. Now, the station is the home of the fabulous Barter Books, and I visit it regularly- or at least I did until this year!

 

[rowanj]

Tyneside saw a few K3's, normally on fitted freights to Edinburgh. After Heaton's B16's moved to Yorkshire, K3 and V2's were the stock in trade on these turns. I never saw, nor have seen a photo  of a K3 on a passenger turn, as was often the case down South.

I probably have too many of the class, but picked up this kit for £80, including chassis, wheels, motor and mount. It is the latest SEF version, and I built it more or less out of the box. 61984 was at Heaton and Tweedmouth, so would have been a regular sight at Little Benton, However, for the plastic trainspotters, this is a "cop", as the loco is on its' first run on the layout. It runs light past the sidings before reversing, for testing purposes on my most complex trackwork, such as it is, and picks up a short freight before heading for Heaton Yard.

[Sandhole]

On 20/12/2020 at 10:27, rowanj said:

Tyneside saw a few K3's, normally on fitted freights to Edinburgh. After Heaton's B16's moved to Yorkshire, K3 and V2's were the stock in trade on these turns. I never saw, nor have seen a photo  of a K3 on a passenger turn, as was often the case down South.

I probably have too many of the class, but picked up this kit for £80, including chassis, wheels, motor and mount. It is the latest SEF version, and I built it more or less out of the box. 61984 was at Heaton and Tweedmouth, so would have been a regular sight at Little Benton, However, for the plastic trainspotters, this is a "cop", as the loco is on its' first run on the layout. It runs light past the sidings before reversing, for testing purposes on my most complex trackwork, such as it is, and picks up a short freight before heading for Heaton Yard.

I have to ask.
Is the bogie well wagon a Hornby Dublo example?
I really hope it is!

[rowanj]

4 hours ago, Sandhole said:

I have to ask.
Is the bogie well wagon a Hornby Dublo example?
I really hope it is!

No, it,s Bachmann. It doesn't get out too much. It is just as it came out of the box, when Modelzone were at good source of sale stock in their Newcastle shop...now long gone.

[rowanj]

The basically complete 104 heads for Alnwick - at least that's what the destination boards says- though it may be taking the long way round from Central to South Gosforth Car Sheds, - 52J.  Over the coming months, I'll do more to the interior and add some weathering, especially to the underframe. 

 

Best wishes for Xmas and 2021 

 

[rowanj]

These are a couple of my locos that I'm pretty fond of - both LRM kits. The J25 is actually my favourite, but it was a bit "light-footed" so I added a bit more lead, and tackled a couple of the vans which were a bit stiff around the wheels.

So the N8, (which for some reason were fully lined out by BR), heads the meat and fish empties to Morpeth where they will be added to trains to Amble, Alnmouth and Chathill for local marts, or sent on to Tweedmouth.

 

The J25 has the ballast train, still a work in progress with a Catfish sitting unstarted on the workbench. Alongside that is another LRM N8/9, which I'll build as the last N9 withdrawn in 1955 from Tyne Dock. From the same Santa pile came a High Level kit of a RSH Industrial 0-6-0 ST, which will become NCB No 46 , I must have seen it a thousand times when I lived in Wallsend and walked past the Rising Sun Colliery on my way to "spot" at Little Benton.

[rowanj]

I have a pair of original Wills Finecast kits running on Comet Chassis, and today finds them passing Little Benton South. Unfortunately for the spotters, they are "common as muck" Gateshead locos which would have been seen many times. The little so-and-so's", of which I was one, don't know how lucky they are to see sights like this. 

Bittern has an Edinburgh-Kings X, which it will come off at Newcastle, and probably hand over to a 34A A4. The Tetrarch may be on a semi-fast, with stops at Morpeth, Alnmouth, Berwick and Dunbar before getting to Waverley.

I have too many locos, and a small purge of RTR A1's, A3's and A4's may be on the cards to be replaced by a couple more kits.

[rowanj]

The 4MT is another loco which doesn't get out much, though 42085 is actually OK for Little Benton, up to a point. It spent most of its' life on the NER, though mainly around Darlington. However it did have a brief spell at Heaton where it worked the Newbiggin trains. Here, given the preponderance of 1st Class accommodation, it seems to be on a Special, possibly a Company trip from the Rowntrees Factory at Fawdon to the coast, or perhaps inland up the Wansbeck Branch to Rothbury. The leading coach is an Isinglass resin kit, and the rest of the ill-matched stock a combination of Hornby and modified Kirk. There is an Isinglass Pigeon Van at the back, so it may be a "posh" pigeon fanciers club trip. All rubbish of course- I just need to organise my rakes better.

The K3, an SEF kit, is back on test, after I discovered that, despite running well "light engine", it wouldnt actually pull a train. I replaced the whitemetal tender with a Bachmann top, modified GBL outside frames, and checked that all wheels on the etched sub- chassis ran freely. It still didn't work, so I had to admit that the problem must be that the small Mashima motor just didn't have enough beef. I replaced it with a Taff Vale 1227, and all is now well. I'll keep the tender, so need to get the lining transfers back out, and, at some point, I'll put a new sub-chassis under the SEF tender body, I still live and learn from what was a pretty elementary error in using too small a motor

 

Edited January 7, 2021 by rowanj

[rowanj]

The SEF K3 is now fit for duty, and has an all-stations Berwick-Newcastle including a highly unlikely Buffet. The loco will now manage any rake I have, so that was the aim of the re-motoring,

Though there are plenty of photos of this class on passenger duties, but I havent seen any in the North East, though I dare say they exist. Most K3's were used on fitted freights between Tyneside and Edinburgh, and I suppose there were enough B1's, V2.s and Pacifics between Gateshead/Heaton, Tweedmouth and St Margarets/Haymarket to handle passenger turns.

 

Heading north, a J73 takes a short rake the long way round to the wagon works at Howdon-on-Tyne, on the North Tyneside loop. The spotters will like this, as the J73 is a long way from home in Hartlepool - it must have been into works at Gateshead and is running in. Actually, the coaches may be heading for scrapping at Hughes Bolckow at North Blyth. This firm scrapped lots of stuff, from A4's to North Tyneside EMU's. The rake consists of Kirk kits, while I decide which, if any, are worth renovating, hence their first trip out in years. The loco is one of ArthurK's North Eastern kits.

Edited January 10, 2021 by rowanj

[rowanj]

It's becoming almost impossible to show anything original on this layout, so I'm not sure how to go forward,  but in the meantime, here are a couple of shots looking South. 

Sunderland had a couple of N5's for a short time in 1957/8, before they were sent to New England to see out their days. I doubt they ever got to Newcastle, but in my Universe, my loco has taken a short rake for storage in the sidings. Judging by the 104 passing on the main line, the rake is not too far from withdrawal, having lost it's role on Alnwick and Berwick stoppers.

[rowanj]

This rake has been sitting boxed for ages, so I thought I'd see what it looked like and how it ran. I have 5 of the TCV's and by the time a couple of Mk1's are added, it is a too-short but half-decent rake. The Up train has a Haymarket A2 in charge -60535 is a DJH kit on an SEF chassis, after I mucked up the original one.

[46256]

Virtually finished 

 

 

Edited January 19, 2021 by 46256

[rowanj]

Brian- The B16/3 looks great, particularly given the source of it. Feel free to put a description of the parts used here if you wish. Is it the photo, or do you still need a whistle?

[46256]

Hello John apologies for posting on your thread. If you can believe it I thought I was adding it to mine. No matter the building of this loco was influenced  greatly by you. I have followed your North Eastern locomotive and carriage builds for some time. The enthusiasm and information you, and like minded North Eastern modellers have,  I admire greatly. The other reason, our joint love of using parts from ...alternative sources, to create locos not readily available. This can only be done though, with a wealth of photographs and drawings. Isinglass provided the latter, you very kindly sent me your treasured copy of Yeadons volume 17 for the photos. In addition the GBL J39 that provided the cab, part of the boiler and smokebox.A second GBL J39 provided more of the boiler insert. A old Hornby b12 provided the running plate with curves....the J39 the front buffer and running plate. The chassis is a Hornby b12 with markits 23 mm drivers on their 9/64 axles to match the old Hornby bearings. The cylinders are Comet, as is part of the motion...a D49. The eccentric rods and expansion link had to be adapted from spares being too short. Lastly markits washout plugs smokebox door dart and snifter valve. The tender is a GC GBL butler Henderson with the rear plate changed with scratch water tanks and the flared NE coal rails brass strip soldered onto plate. The chimney is a spare..

 

lastly you are correct I have no whistle yet to finish her off

Edited January 19, 2021 by 46256

[rowanj]

I never saw a 9F at Little Benton, and even at Newcastle they were rare beasts. The Tyne Dock locos were very occasionally seen an freight turns, and towards the end, York and Doncaster based locos got to Newcastle. 92178 is from 34E, so is a real treat for the spotters.

 

Anyway, I have a couple on the roster, and one has been put on a fitted freight to Berwick. The body is a GBL Evening Star, the chassis from Bachmann from the days when they could be "won" at a reasonable price, and the tender is GBL from their 76xxx model.

I'm in the process of building an LRM N9, and was testing it on the layout, so have included a snap of its' current condition. 

[rowanj]

I gave the other 9F's a spin, and the young lad on the fence was thrilled....he would not have expected this in his wildest dreams.

 

92239 is one of the locos which ended up at York, and heads to Tyneside on a rake of mineral wagons. It is another GBL body, on an original Hornby tender- drive chassis.

 

92063, in the siding, is another GBL body on a Railroad chassis, with a Silver Fox tender body. It is a Tyne Dock loco, so is fitted with the Dave Alexander conversion kit, now sadly unavailable. I was glad I decided to give it a run, as the tender derailed on the points, so it is in Works to sort it out. The large cabside numbers  were added by Darlington Works when they were doing the last lot of General Repairs, and presumably were just using whatever stocks of transfers were available, I used a photo of the loco on Darlington Shed as the source, but admit it does look odd.

Edited February 1, 2021 by rowanj

[rowanj]

My latest loco is an LRM N9, and here it is on its' debut. The cab roof is removable, as I spent a bit of time adding cab detail, but I see it has slipped forward a touch. The build is illustrated in the Kitbuilding List.

 

The LRM kit also allows the building of the N8 version - one I made earlier- and for amusement, I ran them alongside one another, together with my other LRM kit- a J25. All classic ex-NER motive power, albeit almost at the end of their working lives,

[rowanj]

A bit more "pure ex_NER"  at Little Benton, though the timeline is a bit off. The DJH D20 was built, late emblem and all, as one of the last in service, so pulling a rake of ex-NER stock which wouldnt have got past 1951 is a bit unrealistic. The first 3 are D&S kits, and the last is Worsley Works.

The Little Engines T1 is one of my favourite locos and is caught running light back to Tyne Dock. What it was doing north of the Tyne is a good question. Loaned to cover shunting duties at North Blyth, perhaps, during construction of Cambois Power Station?

Edited February 5, 2021 by rowanj

[rowanj]

I very rarely buy RTR locos these days , but couldn't resist the A2/2. 60501 is one of only a few locos I really recall seeing when I was a spotter, as it stood just behind us at Gateshead East Station for a good 20 minutes waiting to go on shed. It had come off at Central, presumably from York, and headed across the High Level bridge, where it was held waiting a path into 52A. I thought it was superb, as a 13 y.o knowing nothing about Gresley/Thompson wars. 

 

After a run-in, 501 has a Parcels to Edinburgh, where Haymarket was so thrilled to see it again, it promptly sent it back as soon as possible on a semi -fast to Newcastle.

 

There are plenty of reviews and comments around, so I'll only add that, on mine, a tender door and a cab seat were loose in the box, and are fiddly to refit with the tender connected. Running is superb.

[Sandhole]

5 minutes ago, rowanj said:

I very rarely buy RTR locos these days , but couldn't resist the A2/2. 60501 is one of only a few locos I really recall seeing when I was a spotter, as it stood just behind us at Gateshead East Station for a good 20 minutes waiting to go on shed. It had come off at Central, presumably from York, and headed across the High Level bridge, where it was held waiting a path into 52A. I thought it was superb, as a 13 y.o knowing nothing about Gresley/Thompson wars. 

 

After a run-in, 501 has a Parcels to Edinburgh, where Haymarket was so thrilled to see it again, it promptly sent it back as soon as possible on a semi -fast to Newcastle.

 

There are plenty of reviews and comments around, so I'll only add that, on mine, a tender door and a cab seat were loose in the box, and are fiddly to refit with the tender connected. Running is superb.

There is a story in a Richard Hardy book about one of his drivers who got one of these locos on a fast fitted train.
This was a 9f duty. Hardy persuaded him to take it and said he could fail it if it wasn't up to the task.
The driver rang Hardy up to tell him this was a perfect fast fitted loco and had it all week.