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The Night Mail


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1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

I was very tempted to use Pant Y Gyrdwl for a Welsh  narrow gauge junction I designed.

 

It was lost on many people.

My sister would kill me. More than likely in some horrific medieval way. I. E. tie me to a post and use me as jousting practice on her horse.

Edited by Florence Locomotive Works
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1 hour ago, Erichill16 said:

I know Nicky very well, in fact some pages ago I posted pictures of my G scale stock on his 45mm railway.

He has also made live steam locos  in OO and a live steam traction engine inOO with a steering system similar to the Faller system. Indeed a very clever lad. 
I’ll see if a can get some pictures next time I see him. Funnily enough I was going to phone him today.

Regards

Robert

 

 

I recall a trader/manufacturer at Ally Pally a fair few years back who offered RTR 00 Live Steam Locos for sale (made to order) - these were before the time of the Hornby offering; I believe he lived in the IOM.

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20 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

I recall a trader/manufacturer at Ally Pally a fair few years back who offered RTR 00 Live Steam Locos for sale (made to order) - these were before the time of the Hornby offering; I believe he lived in the IOM.

It wasn’t Nicky, he has a full time job in engineering. The late Brain Caton used to make and sell live steam 009 and did build in other gauges and scales for himself. In fact he build a live steam IOM layout which we had at Barnsley MRC exhibition a few years ago.

Robert

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10 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

That is very much along the lines (badoom-tish) of friend Nick's (aka 'Bradypus' on fora) line in his very long garden in Barnsley.  Built to move materiel for his G scale line construction and gardening (paviours etc) with a battery electric tram and he also has a similar Lister and a steamer under construction.  He's a clever lad...and then some.

 

NHN totters off down the garden - this is only about half of it!

 

330506072_P1060403(Large).JPG.b972834ac954d95e2b1d32858ad51549.JPG

 

 

 

 

 

For some unknown reason, I suddenly have a desire to buy a house with extensive grounds.

 

Getting expensive this topic.

 

Andy

 

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6 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

I've seen that live steam IOM layout elsewhere - can't remember where exactly - but it was fascinating with some excellent workmanship. OO9?

 

Dave

As has been mentioned earlier by Robert, that was Brian Caton.

 

Brian did a number of 4 mm layouts, if I remember this correctly, they were spirit fired with a very small pot boiler.  The fire being contained by the side tanks on the loco. They had a single oscillating cylinder of 1/8" bore.  This was single acting so had a small flywheel to smooth out the ride and it was geared down.  I don't know the ratio, but I suspect 4:1. 

 

See here for a couple of pics:

 

https://waldbahner.de/en/h0e-echtdampf/

 

He was very skilled, and was also responsible for the Caton motor which was a small, compact 2 cylinder marine unit which was sold by Maxwell Hemmens.

 

Peter Angus, a well known builder of 16 mm live steam used the Caton motor as the power pack for a number of his models.

 

image.png.c99149b7cf960303f3c629b0a11db68f.png

 

The Caton being employed by Peter, in this instance, on his take of a Heisler.

Edited by Happy Hippo
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Yes, Brian Caton - he didn't live here, but wanted to.  I first saw his layout at Narrow Gauge North where I was exhibiting too, donkeys years ago.  Nice bloke, but he was gutted at not being able to afford to move here - I presume he lived in a more northern area where house prices didn't allow the 'jump' to the more southern priced market here at the time.  Prices here did slump, but with our covid free status sales have gone bananas so the prices will do so again I expect.

 

I didn't know he had passed away, :cry:IIRC the IOM locos were for his own consumption originally, and the 009 started for his dad as some kind of thing to show he did have room for a live steam railway!  He did later sell those locos, I nearly bought one, wish I had now.

 

As above, Nick has an engineering fabrication company, and as a great fan of the IOM has made a lot of stuff for Groudle Glen, coach chassis, tanks and cab (in stainless!) for Brown Bear etc.  He is a good friend and you won't meet a nicer bloke.  He usually comes here once or twice a year, and always brings something to amaze me with, the first time he came it was a oo scale live steam Bullied pacific.....the man is a brain on legs.

Edited by New Haven Neil
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Neil,

 

I have a spare Roundhouse 0-4-0 chassis which I was going to try and build some form of 7/8ths Decauville upon, very much along the lines of what Harvey Watkins has achieved.

 

However, having see the picture of that handsome devil upon his steed, I may very well build it more along the lines of a slightly enlarged 'Annie'.

 

Do you have any other more revealing pictures of the lady concerned?

Edited by Happy Hippo
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11 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

I have a spare Roundhouse 0-4-0 chassis which I was going to try and build some form of 7/8ths Decauville upon, very much along the lines of what Harvey Watkins has achieved.

I believe your plan was to have it winding through some horribly built track in the Chihuahuan desert in Mexico, with many sleepy figures wearing sombreros looking on. However could I interest you in a Chilean Nitrate Mine? Most were owned by Col. North, (The Nitrate King) who also owned "North's Navigation Collieries". Here's a photo of the now abandoned Saltpeter Works at Humberstone, in the northern Atacama. And a photo of what looks like a Bagnall, could be a Fowler though.

 

image.png.b7339fad3319cd3805709779362a64a6.png

https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/1997

image.png.295e6c53fd3a6c7558fe245f96c6bade.png

http://www.stumpyvision.com/blog/2017/12/4/humberstone-chile-ghost-town-travelblog

 

I only know about all this as I have a book on the exploits of John Fowler & Co, (Leeds) Ltd, who made much of the rolling stock for these mines. They also made Col. North's private owner wagons for a while.

 

Douglas

 

Edited by Florence Locomotive Works
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That had me looking up John T. North - originally from Leeds, which probably explains the John Fowler & Co. connection. Also involved in the exploitation and consequent abuses in the Belgian Congo. In fact, just the sort of dodgy new-money tycoon in whose company one would expect to find Bertie (and did). 

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Richard, Annie is a full sized replica of a Bagnall that ran in New Zealand, built by Richard Booth at Groudle - it is his personal property, not the railway's.

 

I don't have that many shots of her TBH - preferring to be IN the photos..... she was very much my favourite to drive at Groudle.  OMG I have lost a LOT of weight since then!

 

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P1060807-2.jpg.0e0b07b58e534633360d1189b428400f.jpg

 

 

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Interesting to see the 'fund raiser thermometer' on the shed door in the first shot - a few years later.......in service.

 

That's Richard Booth too, who built 80% of BB, it was finished off by Jack Dibnah - yes - a friend of the GGR as well as personally.

 

20190721_114538.jpg.65828ba9c7926e1d663cc3e88fa22997.jpg

 

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Neil, those shots are great and most helpful.

 

By chance, the library in Stafford holds a vast stock of the Bagnall drawings, and you'll not be surprised to learn that many Bagnalls were a conglomerate of stock parts, so it should not be too difficult to cobble one together.  The bagnall Price vg being replaced by the Roundhouse single eccentric vg. (I appreciate that it would be Anniesque as the R/H chassis is outside framed.)

 

Douglas is quite right about the pair of rusty rails winding into the desert as the Decauville wheezes gently to itself whilst the sombrero wearing villagers enjoy the siesta.  In retrospect, it might be better if that was an 0n14 layout built in a box complete with some resident Cicada for when the sun dips below the horizon.

Edited by Happy Hippo
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You're welcome!

 

If you have the 'Bagnall Book' Annie is in there, including a mention of Richard's replica.  BB has the later valve gear, and is most peculiar.....the eccentric doo-woppy for lap and lead is quite the oddest thing - the Steam Packet did the machining of that, and all the heavy machining actually.

 

The book is the second heaviest in my library (Stauffer's new Haven Power beats it!) Richard's comment was you need a lectern to read it!  It's not one to read in bed.

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1 hour ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

Interesting to see the 'fund raiser thermometer' on the shed door in the first shot - a few years later.......in service.

 

That's Richard Booth too, who built 80% of BB, it was finished off by Jack Dibnah - yes - a friend of the GGR as well as personally.

 

20190721_114538.jpg.65828ba9c7926e1d663cc3e88fa22997.jpg

 

I was going to ask as i had read the earlier posts if this was yhe railway that young Mr Dibnah was involved with, i remember watching something on tv about Fred and it mentioned one of the lads was on the island btw is this still the case just out of interest 

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Good moaning.  Some lovely photos there.  Mention of John Fowler brings back good memories of working 4 beat out of Dewsbury Road police station. 4 beat was Hunslet and had all the major Leeds loco builders on it apart from Leeds Forge and Greenwood and Batley. Sadly none of them still going as loco builders.  Fowlers is a branch of Costco and Hunslet's is Schneider Electrical, making switchgear. I've got some photos of that area and will try and post them when I get chance. The security office at Hunslet Engine Co was a good tea spot for me. They were still building locos when I worked that area from 75 to 79.

 

Jamie

Edited by jamie92208
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Morning.

 

Jack Dibnah no longer lives on the IoM, although his younger brother Roger still does I think - I don't know him.  Jack lives in the Lake District, just down the road from the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, he does a lot of work for them.  He recently bought a standard gauge industrial saddletank loco.  His business is very busy!

 

The line to the GGR loco chimneys is an air line, used with a J tube to create draught for lighting up.  These locos have 'marine' fireboxes and as such don't have much natural draught when cold.  Steam raising takes about 3 hours or a touch more, it would take all day without it!  Once they reach about 30 lbs the locos own blower can take over.  Lighting up in the winter for the Santa trains is a dark, cold, wet experience usually!  I used to be there about 0630hrs, to give time to shunt the loco out of the shed using the battery electric, top up the boiler if needed, and check/change firebars etc before so much as throwing a match in, for an 11am first train.

 

12373193_10153098717202260_3947285423626089187_n.jpg.ea3d56591367edf60aa669c66d8bc772.jpg

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It's going to be bright and sunny all day and much kindling has been shopped once I sharpened my hand axe with the bench grinder.  That's a first for me but it certainly worked a lot better.  Anyway after a mug of coffee I've been sorting through some photos as promised.

 

Most of the Leeds Engine builder were in the south of the city to the west of Hunslet Road alongside the former North Midland railway which was the first line to the south. IIRC the first works were nearer the rive in the Holbeck area where E B Wilson's famous Round Foundry  existed before the coming of the main line railways. The Middleton Railway had of course been going since 1758 with steam from 1812.   Again, straining my grey matter most of the other engine builders grew from the Round Foundry.  The most famous is the Hunslet Engine Company whose premises on Jack Lane are still used to manufacture electrical equipment. Alongside it an across the road was Hudswell Clarkes.  This photo shows the last railway equipment to be built at Hunslet, namely the class 323 EMU's. The bodies came from Spain and were stored on the access line. This can be seen here on the trackbed of the former Up Goods line that dated from 1901. The access siding went off to the right about 100 yards in front of the barrier wagon climbing steeply before splitting into three branches before crossing Jack Lane.  

 

1

154443822_Film1993-1021.jpg.9cbfdd9e56f2b239bd1fc2f954d75291.jpgThe buildings above the EMU's are the former Hudswell Clarke factory.  This shared the railaccess with an even more steeply grade branch the came off to the left of Hunslet's line.  Beyond the overbridge the original North Midland Line turned right in a cutting that lead towards it's terminus on Hunslet Road.  this became Crown Point Goods Yard and in the late 1840's the connection to the left was built to access the site of today's Leeds Station running on a sinuous course past Holbeck Loco depot and near to the Round Foundry. The original course of the Middleton Railway crossed this cutting and ran down the right hand side of the gasholder to staithes on the River Aire. Hopefully in a few years time all this will change with the right hand side of this cutting becoming part of HS2 which will briefly use the Middleton's trackbed as it rises to go into it's above ground station. The existing tracks will be slewed to the left.  

 

Almost opposite the overbridge a road runs off Jack Lane at right angles called Leathley Road.  On the left of this was the Kitsons factory and on the right was John Fowlers Steam Plough works which were directly behind the Hunslet Engine works, separated by, IIRC Ivory Street.  The rail access to both Kitson's and Fowlers came via the entrance to Crown Point Yard and in the 70's there were still some narroa and standard gauge tracks across Leathley Road.

In 1979 the Leeds and District Traction Engine Club held a rally in Leathley Road for the unveiling of a plaque to commemorate the site of the Steam Plough Works.  At that time the works had been demolished and the site was occupied by E J Arnolds printers.  Thus was part of Robert Maxwell's empire along with several other Leeds printing firms. Many people in Leeds lost their pensions when Maxwell plundered the pension funds before committing suicide.

Anyway here are a few picture of the event.  Perhaps I should insert a health warning for Douglas here. Please don't get too excited. Here is a view looking up Leathley Road from Hunslet Road towards Jack Lane. There are a big print works on the right and beyond a bit of Fowlers plus the Kitson works.  The main steam plough works were on the left. The LDTEC arranged a really good collection of Fowler built engines of various types.1219947116_Film1979-7002.jpg.5e2183ffbefc97420019141cff2d9218.jpg

1Here a pair of plough engines are seen on Leathley Road.  the steam plough works site is on the left  and the rear of the Hunslet works can be seen. The engines had formed up on some cleared gound on the former Plough works site.  the plaque is behins me at the corner of Leathley Road and Hunslet Road.1743192732_Film1979-7003.jpg.0e44a23d67b21bc6a1f1fbc74a880257.jpg

Douglas, look away now, serious eye candy.  A plough engine on Hunslet Road at the junction with South Accomodation Road.

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And another.

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The whole area was awash with a heavy engineering and poor quality housing.  Most of both has now gone. A little further along Hunslet Road is Church Street that leads to Balm Road which crosses the railway.  The next railway bridge was Pepper Road where this photo was taken from.  The site on the right was occupied by Hunslet Steel works with Midland Road connecting Balm Road and Pepper Road. A very big engineers was Claytons that mainly made equipment for the gas industry with 3 or four works in this area.  The railway depot is now part of Freightliner(A Gennessee and Wyoming company} and is the newest loco shed in Leeds.

1966011350_Slides2008-C028.jpg.d87390d793254f62e940c7d4cffb4f1c.jpg

Behind where I was standing were the Yorkshire Patent Steam Wagon works the chimney which I watched being demolished by two guys with jackhammers that gradually removed bricks from the base as if the were felling a tree.

 

Hope that this has been of interest.

 

Jamie

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Gordon came over this morning to deliver an 08 Shunter.

 

Shock horror, it's a blue one with TOPS numbering for a side project  of another side project twice removed that we have on the go.

 

Some more diggin' was done in the new veg beds and leaves around the front door swept up and bagged.

 

This afternoon I want to sort out some skirting boards although the rugby matches will probably interfere with the completion of this operation.

 

With no Penderyn to hand, I've had to resort to ensuring  a couple of cans of cider are in the ready use locker instead.

 

 

 

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Morning,

 

Currently I sit in a very misty and cold downtown (heavily socially distanced) coffee shop, awaiting the morning breaki. I’ve included a few shots of the weather. In one you can see two tower cranes, a rare sight in Tulsa.
 

All going well the oil resupply for the Mogul will arrive today, so some test running, more than likely outside will be done. 
 

Douglas

 

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F1F77C59-7196-42C0-BC71-C852D088F183.jpeg

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