Trainspotting at Little Benton Sidings, Newcastle.

[rowanj]

4 minutes ago, Sandhole said:

Lovely job, my friend.
I have to resist buying this kit. I'm waiting for Mike to produce the Dorman Long Sentinels.
I, also, have a Hardy's MW 0-4-0 to build.
Any chance of some more EMU action, please.
Regards,
Chris.

Thanks Chris.

The kit is just what I like at this stage of my modelling. The design is excellent, all parts fit well, and getting the chassis to run without cursing and swearing is easy. It also involves some research and problem solving, as some parts are not supplied - notably the injectors, which nobody seems to make, so some adaptation is needed of what is around to get a representation. No two locos looked the same by the end , and probably were altered several times. In my case, I needed to scratch-build the front steps, the tank balance pipes, and the cab ventilator. The sandboxes were taller than those supplied, so they too were scratch -built, using only the top and bottom from Mike's resin casting.  I have also had the pleasure of making contact with Steve at Railtec to obtain appropriate transfers for number 46.

I'm afraid my only EMU is Dave's Parcels van. I'd love a 4-car North Tyneside set, but the only source I have found recently was a pricey set of bodies on Shapeways, and that was only for the body shells. I'd need to find all the bogie and underframe details. Maybe, one of these days. No doubt Clive could knock something up via cut and shut? Fancy a go, Clive.

[rowanj]

Railtec provided the transfers  - they are now available as customised set, and are excellent. This is the first time I have used them, and the service was excellent - I will be back.

Here is the completed No 46. I need a short rake for the loco and have a couple of Cambrian 7-plank kits to build, and I think Slaters do an ex-NER wagon, so 46 will get a short train in NCB Red at some point. Though the loco shouldn't really be seen at Little Benton, it is too nice to resist getting the odd run out,

There is a brief build description on my other thread.

 

[Clive Mortimore]

On 26/03/2021 at 12:49, rowanj said:

Thanks Chris.

The kit is just what I like at this stage of my modelling. The design is excellent, all parts fit well, and getting the chassis to run without cursing and swearing is easy. It also involves some research and problem solving, as some parts are not supplied - notably the injectors, which nobody seems to make, so some adaptation is needed of what is around to get a representation. No two locos looked the same by the end , and probably were altered several times. In my case, I needed to scratch-build the front steps, the tank balance pipes, and the cab ventilator. The sandboxes were taller than those supplied, so they too were scratch -built, using only the top and bottom from Mike's resin casting.  I have also had the pleasure of making contact with Steve at Railtec to obtain appropriate transfers for number 46.

I'm afraid my only EMU is Dave's Parcels van. I'd love a 4-car North Tyneside set, but the only source I have found recently was a pricey set of bodies on Shapeways, and that was only for the body shells. I'd need to find all the bogie and underframe details. Maybe, one of these days. No doubt Clive could knock something up via cut and shut? Fancy a go, Clive.

Hi John

 

They are on my hit list of stuff I would like to make. The steel bodied Gresley articulated BSK-SK and the Tourist open twin are being made partly for my use on my layout and partly as an experiment for having a bash at the North Tyneside stock.

 

 

[rowanj]

Boring RTR today, I'm afraid. These are just Hornby's A2/2 and A2/3 and I've done nothing to them other than fit some of the extras from the packs. I have a DJH A2/2 and A2/3 and another pair- 60503 and 60517, adapted from various Hornby locos and Graeme King resin parts. 

I always felt slightly uncomfortable running the Derby Lightweight as a mere 2-car set, believing it should have been longer, However Middleton Press' Alnmouth to Berwick has a photo of just such a train at Beal (for Holy Island) heading south. Presumably it was on a Berwick-Newcastle service but can't have been expecting many passengers from the several stations it would call at en-route,

43136 was one of the first Ivatt 4MT's to be allocated on Tyneside, and they were reasonably rare birds until the late 60's , when they supplemented  K1's alongside J27's on Northumberland coal traffic. The "Pigeon Van" is from Isinglass. The loco will head to Benton Quarry Junction , just beyond the bridge, then reverse into the sidings, The van is earmarked for crew on the ballast rake, currently hiding in the Little Benton North  headshunt.

[rowanj]

Back to kits, and locos appropriate to Little Benton- albeit scarce enough to keep the spotters interested. The J77 is a North Eastern Kits Darlington/Worsdell version, and was my first North Eastern Kit. The rake is Cambrian/ Parkside/Isinglass and I really only built it as something to do during Lockdown, It should have been easy, but I actually find getting the Catfish and Dogfish chassis's square quite tricky.

 

The J72 is a cut and shut Mainline on a Mainly Trains chassis, and represents one of the first batch with a short bunker.I'm quite attached to it, though it's pretty crude by modern standards. The rake is off to works - the Kirk coch will be updated with Comet/MJT parts, the Parkside van is being sent back to take its' place in the "Meat n'Fish" extra which ran from Tweedmouth to Tyneside, and the brake van is, if I remember correctly, a modified Bachmann body on a Dapol chassis.

[46256]

Hello John , speaking of  LNER suburban coaches, took one of my Hornby Thompson batch out of the stock drawer. It is a lovely model, as I examined it though the window glazing had a milky film to it. The adhesive used by the factory had caused the reaction I’m sorry to say. The flush glazing together with the little first class and smoking stickers now removed. The window apertures are not too thick but the replacement glazing won’t be flush...a blinking shame and a lesson to check new purchases thoroughly. Glazing now replaced  !

 

Edited April 8, 2021 by 46256

[rowanj]

The Kitson Consett A now has a short rake of Internal User wagons to play with, and a couple of Slaters ex NER hoppers will complete it.  The red livery was common on the Northumberland Coalfield, and I used BR Crimson, on the basis that I already had a can, and it was reasonably close to some of the photos I have. 

[46256]

Nice to see a bit of midland red on your layout John....please don’t reply you know what a sensitive soul I am. It is a nice looking and very distinctive train John well done.

[rowanj]

Back to Black, I'm afraid, Brian.  The B16/1 from PDK was the first etched kit I attempted. Heaton had a number on its' roster, though they tended to be used on freights to and from Edinburgh rather than passenger work. They eventually went south to York, and K3 and V2 classes took on almost all their work.

By contrast, Middlesbrough's re-numbered Bachmann WD would more usually be on freight originating from the local steelworks, rather than a LOCO coal. This is the penalty of trying to be faithful to a prototype location, even when the locos are OK for the area.. you get more than your fair share of unusual "spots".

 

The A2/3 is 60517, and it has empty blue spots for Aberdeen, and is seen disappearing under Halls Bridge past Little Benton North Cabin.. scratch built by necessity.

[46256]

I like the B16/1 John. I’ve become an admirer of the type courtesy of the book you sent me whilst I created the later b16/3. Your loco just exudes the North Eastern Railway.

[rowanj]

"Bronzino" was apparently something of a pet at Heaton, and was a regular on its' turn on The Northumbrian. The loco is merely a re-numbered Bachmann with a double chimney fitted. It is on an Edinburgh-Kings X relief. The Gresley FB is an old Kirk kit to which I have been adding new bogies from Dart Casting as well as a new roof. The Thompsons behind are the the original Bachmann's with Comet sides and modified roof profile.

I also built another wagon for my NCB Internal User rake. This one is a Slaters ex-NER hopper. You get a really nice transfer sheet with the kit, including a full alphabet set, There are a few photos of BACKWORTH appearing on some of the wagons on the Backworth Colliery Complex, and as I live on a small estate on whet was the colliery sidings before the last pair of pits closed in 1980, it seemed appropriate. I have another kit to build, and am in 2 minds whether to have another NCB wagon, or to have a wagon which has lasted into BR days, as quite a few did.

[rowanj]

I occasionally dig out some "inappropriate" locos to amuse the spotters, but they don't often get two together- unless this photo was taken when they took a Rail Rover ticket to the West Highland Line. Neither loco will be entered into a competition but I had fun carving them up from various GBL and Replica bodies. The K4 was fitted to an original Dave Alexander etch, and has a rake of Gresley non-corridor stock. The K1/1 sits on a Bachmann K3 chassis and, for some reason, has a rake of Blue Spot fish vans. Both tenders were carved from the GBL K3 using a plasticard  dummy chassis.

[rowanj]

This is more like what I remember as a 12 year old at Little Benton, rather than the esoteric stuff like K4's. J27's were the staple diet, and these 2 are pretty common sights, so there passing will have been ignored by the gang of spotters, who will be off on their bikes onto the old spoil heap - long before the days of mountain bikes.

 

These locos are actually "ex-works". The train loco is a bog-standard Alexander kit, other than the tender sub-chassis which I built from plasticard to keep the weight down. It had become loose, so I took the opportunity to re-fit it and pass a broach through the brass bearings to improve the running- there was a slight tight spot.

 

In the yard, the NUCast version needed pick-ups adjusting. This loco has Scalelink wheels, which are OK, but are a bit unforgiving if pick-ups are not making good contact. The chassis is the original whitemetal, with a Highlevel gearbox, and runs as sweet as the proverbial nut. I built this loco as the last loco to lose its' suoerheater, but kept the original long smokebox.

 

Edited May 8, 2021 by rowanj

[rowanj]

The sidings are pretty busy, and the WD still hasnt been given a path to get it on its' way to Tees Yard. Re-build B16's were occasional visitors to Newcastle from York, and I'm pretty sure I saw them a few times. Yeadon has a photo of a couple which got to Edinburgh (and, in one case, over the Bridge to Fife).

61464 is a Thompson B16/3. distinguished, at least in model form, largely by the LH drive rather then the RH Gresley B16/2.  It takes a fitted freight South and will probably be headed home to 50A. The PDK kit was one of the first etched kits I built after years away from loco building, and was a bit ambitious. It has just been returned to service after work on the valve gear and leading bogie.

Edited May 12, 2021 by rowanj

[Sandhole]

On 12/05/2021 at 19:11, rowanj said:

The sidings are pretty busy, and the WD still hasnt been given a path to get it on its' way to Tees Yard. Re-build B16's were occasional visitors to Newcastle from York, and I'm pretty sure I saw them a few times. Yeadon has a photo of a couple which got to Edinburgh (and, in one case, over the Bridge to Fife).

61464 is a Thompson B16/3. distinguished, at least in model form, largely by the LH drive rather then the RH Gresley B16/2.  It takes a fitted freight South and will probably be headed home to 50A. The PDK kit was one of the first etched kits I built after years away from loco building, and was a bit ambitious. It has just been returned to service after work on the valve gear and leading bogie.

I have that kit to build, I'd be interested to hear your opinion of it.
Regards,
Chris.

 

[rowanj]

Chris. Considering it was one of the first I built, It wasnt too bad. Mike Edge put a thread together which detailed modifications he made- particularly to the valve gear, where he produced a better etch. My own build will be somewhere near the beginning of my loco build thread.

The only real issue , like many ex-NER locos, is getting the bogie to work. I find the PDK etch far too light, and substituted a cast Hornby from the spares box on the recent "rebuild". Rather than use the swing etch, I used a Hornby pivot- from an A4/3, I think. I also compromised on the bogie wheels size, and filed back the inside of the cylinder block quite sustainably to prevent shorting. 

Originally, I used a Mashima 1620 Round cam in a Markits gearbox, but it kept going out of gear, so I have substituted a Highlevel Highflyer in the latest rebuild.

Overall, I think it's a decent kit- typical PDK, and so a bit long in the tooth, but certainly, in my view, fit for purpose. And if I could build it....

John

[Sandhole]

4 hours ago, rowanj said:

Chris. Considering it was one of the first I built, It wasnt too bad. Mike Edge put a thread together which detailed modifications he made- particularly to the valve gear, where he produced a better etch. My own build will be somewhere near the beginning of my loco build thread.

The only real issue , like many ex-NER locos, is getting the bogie to work. I find the PDK etch far too light, and substituted a cast Hornby from the spares box on the recent "rebuild". Rather than use the swing etch, I used a Hornby pivot- from an A4/3, I think. I also compromised on the bogie wheels size, and filed back the inside of the cylinder block quite sustainably to prevent shorting. 

Originally, I used a Mashima 1620 Round cam in a Markits gearbox, but it kept going out of gear, so I have substituted a Highlevel Highflyer in the latest rebuild.

Overall, I think it's a decent kit- typical PDK, and so a bit long in the tooth, but certainly, in my view, fit for purpose. And if I could build it....

John

Thank you.
I appreciate it.
Regards,
Chris.

[rowanj]

To round off my little NCB rake, The Mike Edge Kitson A, with a short rake of Cambrian, Slaters and Dapol leaves the sidings for parts unknown, i.e the storage sidings . Though all this is appropriate to NE England, - the crimson was applied to internal users in the Backworth Complex - it certainly is not appropriate to Little Benton. But it was all a Lockdown project, and as I am now 3 weeks after my second jab and have just had another negative test, it all seems worthwhile.

[rowanj]

This is a bit of a treat for the lads on the fence. 60113 did get to Newcastle, usually on a parcels or an extra, but this time seems to be rostered on a fast fully fitted freight. The loco is getting a run because I found it languishing in a box after its' last failure. I built it 10 years ago, from a Hornby body and Graeme King resin castings. It originally ran on a Hornby chassis, but I replaced that- can't recall why- with an old Wills A3 whitemetal chassis, Mashima round-cam motor in a Comet gearbox, Romford wheels, and valve gear from various Comet etches. It failed again, so went , rather roughly, back into the box.

I sorted out the valve gear and got the chassis running, repaired and repainted some of the worst of the bodywork, and added a bit of detail - pipework and such.  The old adage about silk purses runs true, but at least, so does the loco.

[rowanj]

This is a bit of a "Dear John" post, as I have found the layout is just too restrictive to allow for a variety of photos, and so it becomes too repetitive. I'll put anything which is likely to be different if such a thing happens, but to round it off, I'll put together 4 videos to show what I have done. The first two will be reasonably typical Little Benton fare, with appropriate locos and the odd excitement for the spotters, The third will be diesel based, and the last will be my "strangers".

On video No 1.

1-North Eastern Kits J77 on a short ballast train.

2-DJH A2 on SEF chassis 60535 Hornets Beauty

3-Mike Trice V2 60835

4-GBL /Bachmann J39 64838.

5-DJH A8 69853 on a Morpeth-Newcastle

6-Bachmann B1 61322

7-LRM J25 65697 collects meat and fish empties

8-LRM N9 69424 runs light to Blyth.

9-Mainline/Mainly Trains J71 68264 takes the meat and fish to Morpeth

10-PDK B16/1 61410 on a local 

11-Cut and Shut/ Alexander chassis K4 61996 Lord of The Isles on Blue Spot relief

12-DJH D20 62395 on Alnwick all-stations

13-Hornby/Graeme King A2/2 60503 Lord President on Edinburgh relief

14-Dave Alexander J27 65813 wobbles south on another hopper train

15-Mike Edge Kitson A with my short NCB rake

16-Bachmann WD 90135 leaves with the LOCO Coal rake - Parkside/Colin Ashby kits

17.PDK B16/3 61464 runs kight back to York.

18-D20 62395 on an SLS Special to Rothbury

19- Dave Alexander Q7 63464 on an empty rake of cattle wagons.

 

 

Edited May 23, 2021 by rowanj

[rowanj]

A couple of photos of recent work. The J21 is a Dave Alexander kit, built many moons ago, rather badly, as 65033, which I converted to a freight-only version. I'll build 65033 from the LRM kit at some stage.. the changes to 65070 are described on my build-thread.

I have also been tarting up my small rake of Kirk non-vestibule stock, using  a mix of Comet, MJT and Isinglass parts. This train is an empty stock return from Newbiggin to Heaton sidings. Most services ran from Manors North rather than Newcastle Central, but a service ran to connect with The Tees-Tyne Pullman, and had a preponderance of First Class, which explains the 1st Class and Composite in the rake. The V3, just a re-numbered Bachmann, was typical fare on the service.

[rowanj]

I have a couple of photos of Great Northern at Newcastle, though I never saw it. It was, I suspect, a rare beast, as I don't think Doncaster Carr Loco had many passenger turns to the North East. the model is on a running-in turn, having just received a Comet A3/4 chassis, Comet V2 motion and a DJH motor/gearbox. It runs well, but I have spotted a couple of issues which would benefit from some filler.

 

[rowanj]

A busy, but uncharacteristically dull (for NE England) Summer Saturday excites the spotters. 60517 Ocean Swell will be familiar fare, but 60113 and are probably cops. The A2/3, a cut and shut from a GBL A2 and Graeme King resin parts is on a modified SEF A2 chassis. It has an Edinburgh- KingsX extra The cut and shut A1/1 is Hornby A3 and resin parts on a Comet A3/4 chassis. , and has a Doncaster - Edinburgh s extra,  and the B16/,3 a PDK kit, is held in the relief sidings with an Edinburgh - York semi-fast,

 

In reality, these locos are being given a run to check a re-laid curve into the north fiddle yard, but the fiction is more interesting than the fact.

[rowanj]

For variety, 65822 is taken through Halls Bridge with a train of hoppers, which really should be empty, heading North towards the Ashington Coalfield. Just for a change, I thought I'd try a B&W picture.  

 

60113 is now heading back to Doncaster, and the best Gateshead could find is a fitted freight. I was still having a bit of an issue with the leading bogie, but I think this has been resolved. My son, bless him, has passed on his old phone, which was still a couple of centuries newer than mine, and therefore has a much better camera. I just need to learn how to use it now.

 

 

[Sludger]

When you were on your spotting trips at Little Benton all those years ago

did you ever see 24t minerals not hoppers in block loads running from Burradon to the Stellas?

 

I have come across a photo of a branded wagon which cannot be posted here due to

copyright. I was not aware that wagons of this type were used in the Northumberland Coalfield.