Longdrem & The Pinkhill Branch

[Theakerr]

Very nice. Living in Canada and not having access to many shows I really appreciate a set of pictures like this.

[great northern]

Aye New England was just a bit too far south for Ellangowan to run away from Father Ambrose whilst Wandering Willie didn't like to stray from the Waverley Route!

 

No doubt your 64B visitors were on running in turns from Doncaster as Gateshead were under strict instructions not to use 64B's steeds on their southbound workings. It was the other way round for us as on checking up my ABC today I see that your locally based pacifics at New England and Grantham stand out as not being underlined and hardly a surprise, the only Peppercorn A2 I didn't see was Happy Knight which was local to you.

 

Happy Knight? Ever present that thing. Now Irish Elegance would have been really something, and as for the Dundee and Aberdeen A2's, I think we even doubted their existence.I did see the smoke deflectors of Hornet's Beauty on a visit to Doncaster Plant, but we couldn't find the rest of the engine. Did it count as a cop? The debate raged on for ages......probably still does.

 

I have Empire of India to work the Elizabethan, as she was the first 64B engine I saw on the train. I also have Grand Parade, which I saw on a running in turn at Retford on 8th August 1958! And I have a photo of that engine on New England shed a few days later. That's enough excuse for me. Kkep the photos coming please, as it brings to life an area I would dearly love to have visited back in those glorious days.

 

Gilbert

[60027Merlin]

Beautifully done layout and locomotives of all types. I too am taken by the smaller locomotives such as 56035. Is this an augmentation of the Slater's Pug or some other ?

Thanks so much for the inspiration. Bruce

 

Bruce

 

The Caley 0-4-0st 56035 is a kit from Anchoridge released in the late 70s. This was a limited run of kits, from memory I think it was 150 in number. I am sure that this was the first in a series of loco kits Anchoridge issued for a short time, the K3 being another.

[60027Merlin]

Well done? The furrows in the garden beds is a nice touch. What have you planted?

 

The area in question is actually part of a farmers field. He tells me the main crops are potatoes and sugar beet. The sugar beet ended up at the British Sugar Corporation's factory at Cupar which was a source for outward goods traffic and revenue for B. R. I'll get these furrows planted out yet! The cottage gardens at Pinkhill (not in this batch of photos) have quite a few vegetables and flowers growing though - all courtesy of my wife's dried flowers collection.

[64B]

Neil

 

I use the old war horse of modellers licence! within reason, for the layout period of 1957 -1961. For example the V4 pictured a few pages back was withdrawn at the end of 1957 but it will run with A3s fitted with double chimneys a year or two later. Modelling is easier that way!

 

Like you I thought that the LGW wagons were only to be seen in Leith Docks and on various locations along the Sub. however last year when looking through a friend's collection of photos I came across a couple of shots of LGW wagons in a mixed freight at Saughton Junction. It was heading into town and on the Aberdeen line pulled by a J36 and dated in the 50s. We reckoned that the reason for their appearance in the west of the city was because of the Distillery at Kirkliston. That would tie up with the mixed goods make up as there were regular pick-up goods workings out that way then. That then gave me the excuse to "mix them up a bit" - not often though!

 

Hi 60027

I used to live in the western side of Edinburgh and frequently walked up the roadway past Gorgie goods yard. The LGW wagons were usually parked over next to the distillery. I don't ever recall seeing them on the move. I have often thought that Gorgie or some other part of the Edinburgh suburban railway would be a great railway to model. For me it had such a variety of motive power and rolling stock with suburban trains, freight (goods) trains and all the main line diversions that brought some of the more exotic locos to the suburbs of Edinburgh.

 

I was interested to read your notes above re the LGW wagons passing Saughton. Looking back I spent a lot of time watching operations at Saughton Junction in the early 60s but didn't pay any attention to rolling stock, being more fixated by locomotives. The RailBrit website has many good photos of both Saughton Junction and Gorgie.

 

Neil

[60027Merlin]

A last minute decision to take a few photos of Union of South Africa acknowledging the final run of The Elizabethan on the 10th. September 1961 following on from my posting of the 12th. June.

 

Silver Link and Union of South Africa took the final Down and Up trains respectively but in order to ensure that they returned to their sheds without diagram complications loco changes took place at Newcastle. No. 28 took over the Up train for the run to Kings Cross whilst No. 9 took the Down train to the Waverley taking over from No. 14. In this last week Union of South Africa and Mallard worked it each day.

 

When typing this I recall visiting Haymarket a couple of times that week to “cop” Mallard as word had spread that it was the loco Kings Cross had chosen. As Kings Cross did not use it often on The Non-Stop it was one of the few 34A A4s I hadn’t seen. A few of us went along to the Shed just when darkness was falling as the evenings were, by then in mid September, getting dark early on. Taking the usual way in, via the steps beside the retaining wall in the small yard in Roseburn Street at the furthest point of the west end of the Shed, there was no sign of it so it had obviously been coaled, watered and turned for the next morning’s Lizzie. Therefore the search was on which meant us splitting up for some “low key” walking between the roads in the Shed which was still fairly dark even with the lights on. We found it positioned near the front of one of the roads in the Shed at the east end facing towards the Waverley, fortunately a couple of pacifics were in front of it which gave us some cover from the “high heid yin’s office”, the position of which gave them a clear view of the front of the east end of the Shed. The opportunity, of course, was taken to cab it individually whilst the others kept a look-out on each side of the loco in case any fitters happened to appear!

 

It’s amazing how events and their detail instantly come to mind after all these years!

 

The final journey - job done.

 

 

To finish – Rather than on a sombre note let's go back to the glory days with a black and white shot taken in the spring sunshine last April, It was in colour before e-mailing it to a friend who did some computer magic and then returned it within a few minutes!

 

[lmsforever]

Brilliant layout you are are an excellent modeler and obviously know your chosen area very well,the attention to detail ,quality details and the rolling stock is great,keep up the good work.

[landscapes]

Fantastic layout, I have been following your Longdrem & Pinkhill branch line layout since you had the excellent two part article in the BRM modelling magazine back in 2009.

 

May I ask how you fix the Elizabethan headboard to the lamp irons on 60009.

 

Regards

 

David

[Saint Johnstoun]

Sir Nigel would be proud of you. One minor and really unimportant point. Did 60009 not run with one of the cut down tenders done for the 1948 locomotive exchanges at one time?

 

A really good model is the nearest you can get to the real thing in retrospect. We may well see steam on the main line today but the environment is of 2011 not the 1960s.

[davidw]

60009 ran with one of the cut down tenders late in life. Other loco's that towed cut down tenders were 60022, 60029, 60033 and 60034. There were I think only three cut down tenders. So the loco's mentioned towed the tenders at different times. Hope Eric doesn't mind me jumping in...

Edited September 11, 2011 by davidw

[Saint Johnstoun]

Of course the tender we are talking about is still in existence (5332) having been modified back to normal, as of course was 5325 which was put behind FS in preservation.

[Saint Johnstoun]

60009 ran with an A4 corridor tender 5591 from 14/5/48 until 16/7/61 which makes the model in the pics spot on.

[60027Merlin]

Many thanks for the comments lads, most appreciated.

 

The Elizabethan headboard is a CGW product. It has a small circular piece with a hole in the middle attached to the middle of the lower edge. With a small pair of pliers carefully bend this piece 90 degrees to the rear and put a miniscule bit of blue tack in the hole. Then just place it down the lamp iron and straighten it up, the blue tack should stop it "shoogling" about when the loco is running round the layout.

 

Feel free to jump in David, most welcome! The tender arrangements for Haymarket's A4s during the 50s until closure to steam in 1963 remained unchanged. Nos. 4,11 and 24 had the 1928 corridor type whilst nos. 9, 12, 27 and 31 had the 1935 streamlined corridor type.

 

All my A4s were out of service for a couple of weeks recently as I was fitting them with most of the parts from the new Brasssmasters etch. Before putting them all away in their storage boxes I took a some snaps of them lined up and then deleted all but two on the camera!

 

These are attached below, totally unreal regarding a layout scene but there we are for all that!

 

 

 

Number 1 link of 64B.

[60027Merlin]

Many thanks for the comments lads, most appreciated.

 

The Elizabethan headboard is a CGW product. It has a small circular piece with a hole in the middle attached to the middle of the lower edge. With a small pair of pliers carefully bend this piece 90 degrees to the rear and put a miniscule bit of blue tack in the hole. Then just place it down the lamp iron and straighten it up, the blue tack should stop it "shoogling" about when the loco is running round the layout.

 

Feel free to jump in David, most welcome! The tender arrangements for Haymarket's A4s during the 50s until closure to steam in 1963 remained unchanged. Nos. 4,11 and 24 had the 1928 corridor type whilst nos. 9, 12, 27 and 31 had the 1935 streamlined corridor type.

 

All my A4s were out of service for a couple of weeks recently as I was fitting them with most of the parts from the new Brasssmasters etch. Before putting them all away in their storage boxes I took a some snaps of them lined up and then deleted all but two on the camera!

 

These are attached below, totally unreal regarding a layout scene but there we are for all that!

 

 

 

Number 1 link of 64B.

[davidw]

I bought a brass master etch for my fleet - how did you find it?

[60027Merlin]

I bought a brass master etch for my fleet - how did you find it?

 

It is an excellent set of etched fittings and well worth the fiver. The instructions are well illustrated running to 4 pages. I used most of the etched fittings, it's really up to the individual as to how much to fit depending on the practicalities, I concentrated on the front frames area and all associated fittings on plus the footplate support brackets.

 

The instructions mention that "it may be a little awkward to fit the chassis to the loco as the rear chassis tongue has to clip under the cab" and as such perhaps "remove a small part of the splashers". That's true, however I got round it by snipping a couple of mill. from the lower end of the splasher prior to soldering them on to the frames and also doing the same to the rear end of each frame etching which gives sufficient clearance for chassis fitting. Once the frames are painted you would never know as that area is behind the cylinder and of course it's practical for running which is the main thing.

 

I would recommend this product.

[great northern]

Merlin, you really are a wizard! I've been trying to figure out what that washer on CGW headboards was all about for at least the last 15 years. I still have several in their original packaging, so I'm now off to try this out.

[davidw]

Can you enlighten me too?

[davidw]

 

It is an excellent set of etched fittings and well worth the fiver. The instructions are well illustrated running to 4 pages. I used most of the etched fittings, it's really up to the individual as to how much to fit depending on the practicalities, I concentrated on the front frames area and all associated fittings on plus the footplate support brackets.

 

The instructions mention that "it may be a little awkward to fit the chassis to the loco as the rear chassis tongue has to clip under the cab" and as such perhaps "remove a small part of the splashers". That's true, however I got round it by snipping a couple of mill. from the lower end of the splasher prior to soldering them on to the frames and also doing the same to the rear end of each frame etching which gives sufficient clearance for chassis fitting. Once the frames are painted you would never know as that area is behind the cylinder and of course it's practical for running which is the main thing.

 

I would recommend this product.

 

 

Can you do a close up at some point?

[60027Merlin]

Can you enlighten me too?

 

David

 

Please see the posts numbered 113/114 (somehow 113 was duplicated when being transferred across).

 

We are going on holiday in a couple of days and my camera is packed away now. I'll try for some close ups when we are back as I had planned to take some more pictures of Pinkhill then for the next feature so I'll get an A4 out and see how clear a close up shot is of the front end.

 

 

Gilbert

 

Re the CGW headboards;

 

I forgot to mention that depending on the lamp iron fitted on the loco the hole in the headboard piece may require opening out by a fraction, Take care as they are fragile and may snap off!

[Saint Johnstoun]

All your photos are gobsmacking! Out of interest what is the pedigree of your Caprotti Standard Class V?

[60027Merlin]

All your photos are gobsmacking! Out of interest what is the pedigree of your Caprotti Standard Class V?

 

It's a DJH kit built in the late 90s. being one of the batch based at St. Rollox. They were fairly frequent visitors to the Caley station and from memory any time I saw them on the Caley line on the long straight section at Kingsknowe they were always belting along, real action stuff!

[60027Merlin]

 

 

Can you do a close up at some point?

 

 

David

 

Here are some close up shots, even one with a torch light aimed at the loco! Hopefully they will be clear.

 

I removed the top fold-over piece of the frame etch so that I could fit the etch a wee bit lower to enable minimal clearance between the lower edge of the frames and the bogie wheel rim. It's just down to personal preference as I prefer to have less daylight in that area if possible as it gives the front end of a loco a heavier and to me more realistic look.

 

[davidw]

thanks very much

[7APT7]

Many thanks for the comments lads, most appreciated.

 

The Elizabethan headboard is a CGW product. It has a small circular piece with a hole in the middle attached to the middle of the lower edge. With a small pair of pliers carefully bend this piece 90 degrees to the rear and put a miniscule bit of blue tack in the hole. Then just place it down the lamp iron and straighten it up, the blue tack should stop it "shoogling" about when the loco is running round the layout.

 

Feel free to jump in David, most welcome! The tender arrangements for Haymarket's A4s during the 50s until closure to steam in 1963 remained unchanged. Nos. 4,11 and 24 had the 1928 corridor type whilst nos. 9, 12, 27 and 31 had the 1935 streamlined corridor type.

 

All my A4s were out of service for a couple of weeks recently as I was fitting them with most of the parts from the new Brasssmasters etch. Before putting them all away in their storage boxes I took a some snaps of them lined up and then deleted all but two on the camera!

 

These are attached below, totally unreal regarding a layout scene but there we are for all that!

 

 

 

Number 1 link of 64B.

 

 

Woooowwww....

 

Impressive Loco collection, are thay all numbered differently...?

 

Love all you photos, keep them coming.

 

Jamie