Wright writes.....

[jamie92208]

36 minutes ago, polybear said:

Hi all,

Once upon a time, when Modelspares in Burnley was still trading and the purveyor of all Hornby spares known to man (the Margate ones, at least), screws with plain shanks were easily available.  Now that Mr. Modelspares has retired, is there still a ready source of such items?  I recall Tony making mention of them a few pages back as the ideal pivot screw to use for attaching Pony, Bogie and Trailing Trucks to Loco chassis.

Many thanks

Brian

I believe they are known as shouldered bolts so it might be worth a bit of googling.

 

Jamie

 

[jwealleans]

Alternatively, a bit of tube as a sleeve achieves the same end result.

[cctransuk]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

Hi all,

Once upon a time, when Modelspares in Burnley was still trading and the purveyor of all Hornby spares known to man (the Margate ones, at least), screws with plain shanks were easily available.  Now that Mr. Modelspares has retired, is there still a ready source of such items?  I recall Tony making mention of them a few pages back as the ideal pivot screw to use for attaching Pony, Bogie and Trailing Trucks to Loco chassis.

Many thanks

Brian

 

Wizard Models supply BA shouldered bolts in some of their loco kits, for use as bogie pivots.

 

I have e-mailed them to see if they can be supplied separately, or if they can suggest a supplier.

 

I will post the reply here.

 

John Isherwood.

[cctransuk]

2 hours ago, polybear said:

Hi all,

Once upon a time, when Modelspares in Burnley was still trading and the purveyor of all Hornby spares known to man (the Margate ones, at least), screws with plain shanks were easily available.  Now that Mr. Modelspares has retired, is there still a ready source of such items?  I recall Tony making mention of them a few pages back as the ideal pivot screw to use for attaching Pony, Bogie and Trailing Trucks to Loco chassis.

Many thanks

Brian

 

See https://www.petersspares.com/spares-Hornby-s-coded-spares.irc

 

John Isherwood.

[Tony Wright]

2 hours ago, Brinkly said:

Lovely photos Tony. I do like a traditional pick-up goods train. 

Is all your freight stock  (bar 'through freight) fitted with Sprat and Winkle couplings? 

 

Best wishes,

 

Nick.

Thanks Nick,

 

Your kind comments are appreciated.

 

Only the vehicles used in the pick-ups are fitted with Sprat & Winkle couplings (some 35 wagons/vans). All the other have my wire hook and bar or three-/screw-link couplings. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Tony Wright]

1 hour ago, Clem said:

The conversation in our house often goes like this: 

Clem - "I think I'll have a cup of tea. Do you want one?"

Chris - "No, you can have enough tea".

Clem - "You can never have enough tea".

and so it goes.

Well, for a line like the ex-GN Nottingham-Derby line, you can never have enough O4s. So here's the latest Bachmann conversion using a Mousa Models body (O4/7). I wanted to see how using a Bachmann ex-GW ROD for a donor would turn out. Well there are some pros and some cons. Firstly the running plate is the correct shape and the reversing rod is the correct length. Against that, it has no mechanical lubricator, no steps attached to the motion bracket, round buffers at the front, extra steps from the running plate and rivets in the wrong places. So whichever way you choose, if you want to get it right, there is work to be done. I still need to do a little work neatening up the crankpins and painting the chassis (and painting the buffers black, Gorton style) and weathering the engine and tender.

I think I will be taking on a DJH WD next not having tackled one before. Are there any pitfalls I should be looking out for? 

 

Good afternoon Clem,

 

'I think I will be taking on a DJH WD next not having tackled one before. Are there any pitfalls I should be looking out for?' 

 

The DJH Austerity builds up very well, but there are two things to look out for. 

 

The cylinders stick out a bit too far as designed, and the piston rods are a bit too short, unless they're snipped from their sprue to their maximum length. 

 

Some examples.........

 

 

This is one I built which runs on LB (picture taken some time ago). I built a few for customers down the years; before the Bachmann model came along RTR. 

 

 

In a layout setting, I think it's fine. 

 

 

This is one Tony Geary built (again, picture taken a long time ago). 

 

 

It's my privilege to have it now as part of LB's freight stud. 

 

 

I can't recall who brought this one along (an ebay purchase, builder unknown?). It suffers from having the etched overlays to the standard Romford wheels. The protrusion on the top of the crosshead should bend over the top of the slidebar. I'm not sure about the accuracy of the pipework.......

 

That the kit can be built in EM, there's no doubt.

 

 

 

Two built by the late Roy Jackson. 

 

Love the O4/7.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Clem]

3 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

Good afternoon Clem,

 

'I think I will be taking on a DJH WD next not having tackled one before. Are there any pitfalls I should be looking out for?' 

 

The DJH Austerity builds up very well, but there are two things to look out for. 

 

The cylinders stick out a bit too far as designed, and the piston rods are a bit too short, unless they're snipped from their sprue to their maximum length. 

 

Some examples.........

 

 

This is one I built which runs on LB (picture taken some time ago). I built a few for customers down the years; before the Bachmann model came along RTR. 

 

 

In a layout setting, I think it's fine. 

 

 

This is one Tony Geary built (again, picture taken a long time ago). 

 

 

It's my privilege to have it now as part of LB's freight stud. 

 

 

I can't recall who brought this one along (an ebay purchase, builder unknown?). It suffers from having the etched overlays to the standard Romford wheels. The protrusion on the top of the crosshead should bend over the top of the slidebar. I'm not sure about the accuracy of the pipework.......

 

That the kit can be built in EM, there's no doubt.

 

 

 

Two built by the late Roy Jackson. 

 

Love the O4/7.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Tony, thank you for the tips and the lovely, quite brilliant illustrations. I'll use your information as well as I can and will be well chuffed if I can build it anywhere near to the standard of the examples given. I hope you and Mo are keeping well. To be honest, we're finding this self-isolation lark not that bad. Chris has her photography and I have my workshop (which is next to the kitchen... and the kettle... ah... tea!). It's important we all stay vigilant against this horrible virus. PS. I've enjoyed the LB sequence photos very much. Keep safe.

Clem

[dibateg]

90040 was a long time Woodford engine, and I wanted a model of it, as it appeared in one of the 1960s ABC combines. It was actually built by Allen Hammett for me and originally had Sharman P4 wheels which looked better than the spoked Romfords with the brass overlays that were in the kit. They weren't that robust and had a tendency to slip on the axles if maltreated. Eventually Romford/Markits brought out a proper WD wheel, by this time I also had 90299, Allen Hammett again, but built for Roy Palmer. So I re-wheeled them. Allen liked doing the DJH WD's - in his words - they just fell together..

I have 3 in 7mm scale... yes I like them...

 

This is the Snow Hill kit:-

 

Tony

[Northmoor]

Tony,

These daily photos of the sequence convince me of two things.

(1) Little Bytham is the work of a group of artists.

(2) While I loved growing up watching trains in the BR Blue era, I was clearly born about 30 years too late.  Spotting on the ECML in the late 50s looks like a great way to have wasted my youth.

Many thanks for the inspiration.

Rob

[mullie]

Re: Spratt and winkle couplings. I have used staples for years but I trim them down so they are far less visible. Seen on my Kelvedon and Tollesbury Ratio kit bash. The couplings are 3mm mk1s adapted for delayed coupling. Eventually I will build a correct coach for the layout, I suppose this is what we call a place holder.

 

 

On a different matter, does anyone know where I can find numbers for 16ton LMS brake vans? I am currently detailing a Dapol model as a late 40s/early 50s example working in East Anglia. I would like to model one with the ballast box.

 

Many thanks

 

Martyn

[cctransuk]

4 hours ago, cctransuk said:

 

Wizard Models supply BA shouldered bolts in some of their loco kits, for use as bogie pivots.

 

I have e-mailed them to see if they can be supplied separately, or if they can suggest a supplier.

 

I will post the reply here.

 

John Isherwood.

 

Response from Wizard Models :-

 

"... order code is LS46, £2.40 for 5 screws and nuts. These are 8BA – I don’t do any other sizes".

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

[Tony Wright]

1 hour ago, Northmoor said:

Tony,

These daily photos of the sequence convince me of two things.

(1) Little Bytham is the work of a group of artists.

(2) While I loved growing up watching trains in the BR Blue era, I was clearly born about 30 years too late.  Spotting on the ECML in the late 50s looks like a great way to have wasted my youth.

Many thanks for the inspiration.

Rob

There'll be more tomorrow, Rob,

 

I'm finding this self-isolation quite fruitful; not because of the circumstances, which are awful, but because I have nothing else to do but take pictures, write articles/books and build models (plus a couple of other things). Our elder son and his girlfriend do our shopping for us (they insist we stay put!).

 

Bytham's home has now been protected for a further five years.

 

And, Mo and I are actually going for walks! Even railway walks.

 

Believe it or not there were once three railways at Little Bytham (some cities can't boast that). The least well-known was Lord Willoughby's private railway from Little Bytham to Edenham. Opened in the 1860s, it closed just 20 odd years later and was abandoned.

 

Traces still remain, including this beautiful bridge on the Witham Road.

 

 

 

It had fallen into a state of poor repair, and there was a fear it would be demolished. However, though the road was shut for a week or two, repairs were made and the undergrowth cut back. I've tried in the past to get pictures of this bridge, but until now it's proved to be impossible because of Mother Nature. 

 

It hasn't seen a train beneath for nearly 140 years. I wonder which railway bridge in this country holds the record for the number of years it's been disused? This must be a contender. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

 

 

[johndon]

8 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

It hasn't seen a train beneath for nearly 140 years. I wonder which railway bridge in this country holds the record for the number of years it's been disused? This must be a contender. 

 

Although the railway went over rather than under it, Causey Arch not from from where I live was built almost 300 years ago and hasn't seen a train in more that a couple of hundred years: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causey_Arch

 

 

[cctransuk]

5 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

There'll be more tomorrow, Rob,

 

I'm finding this self-isolation quite fruitful; not because of the circumstances, which are awful, but because I have nothing else to do but take pictures, write articles/books and build models (plus a couple of other things). Our elder son and his girlfriend do our shopping for us (they insist we stay put!).

 

Bytham's home has now been protected for a further five years.

 

And, Mo and I are actually going for walks! Even railway walks.

 

Believe it or not there were once three railways at Little Bytham (some cities can't boast that). The least well-known was Lord Willoughby's private railway from Little Bytham to Edenham. Opened in the 1860s, it closed just 20 odd years later and was abandoned.

 

Traces still remain, including this beautiful bridge on the Witham Road.

 

 

 

It had fallen into a state of poor repair, and there was a fear it would be demolished. However, though the road was shut for a week or two, repairs were made and the undergrowth cut back. I've tried in the past to get pictures of this bridge, but until now it's proved to be impossible because of Mother Nature. 

 

It hasn't seen a train beneath for nearly 140 years. I wonder which railway bridge in this country holds the record for the number of years it's been disused? This must be a contender. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony.

 

The folly of the over-privileged!

 

Why on earth would anyone build a three-arched bridge over a private, single track railway - other than for prestige?

 

OK - it made work for a number of manual labourers for a few months - but a basic single arch would have served the purpose equally well.

 

John Isherwood.

[96701]

1 hour ago, Tony Wright said:

Traces still remain, including this beautiful bridge on the Witham Road.

 

 

It had fallen into a state of poor repair, and there was a fear it would be demolished. However, though the road was shut for a week or two, repairs were made and the undergrowth cut back. I've tried in the past to get pictures of this bridge, but until now it's proved to be impossible because of Mother Nature. 

 

It hasn't seen a train beneath for nearly 140 years. I wonder which railway bridge in this country holds the record for the number of years it's been disused? This must be a contender. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

 

 

Not far from you, just down the road from where I used to live, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ufford_Bridge_railway_station

 

The platform walls were still in place when we lived there about 20 years ago.

[Buhar]

Williamwood just outside Glasgow has this impressive bridge

Double track, built by the Caley, the line was opened in 1903 then closed in 1907!  The bridge behind is still in use on the electrified Neilston Line.

 

Alan

[Arun Sharma]

2 hours ago, cctransuk said:

 

The folly of the over-privileged!

 

Why on earth would anyone build a three-arched bridge over a private, single track railway - other than for prestige?

 

OK - it made work for a number of manual labourers for a few months - but a basic single arch would have served the purpose equally well.

 

John Isherwood.

There's no shortage of various sized "civil engineering" projects that were set up as a way of paying people to do something useful as opposed to merely giving them handouts. Take a couple in the Pennines viz., the Cotton Famine Road or the paved road from Todmorden [Mankinholes] to Stoodley Pike. More recently, the eastern part of the North Circular Road was built in the 1930s by labourer's paid by the Govt of the day during the depression. There used to be a stone plaque by the bridge over the River Lea attesting to that.

[manna]

G'day Folks

 

Didn't Lord Willoughby's railway end in the station yard at Little Bytham ??

 

terry (aka manna) who's ancestors lived and died in Little Bytham for centuries.

[Woodcock29]

8 hours ago, Clem said:

Well, for a line like the ex-GN Nottingham-Derby line, you can never have enough O4s. So here's the latest Bachmann conversion using a Mousa Models body (O4/7). I wanted to see how using a Bachmann ex-GW ROD for a donor would turn out. Well there are some pros and some cons. Firstly the running plate is the correct shape and the reversing rod is the correct length. Against that, it has no mechanical lubricator, no steps attached to the motion bracket, round buffers at the front, extra steps from the running plate and rivets in the wrong places. So whichever way you choose, if you want to get it right, there is work to be done. I still need to do a little work neatening up the crankpins and painting the chassis (and painting the buffers black, Gorton style) and weathering the engine and tender.

 

That looks lovely Clem.

 

I found that using the WR ROD is a great starting point. You get the correct footplate shape, which is a critical factor to me, As you say also the correct length reversing rod but I tend to use brass anyway, parallel buffer shanks into which its not hard to fit oval buffers. However, recently I got some Brassmasters nickel silver oval buffer overlay etches out of a deceased estate  which will probably last me for all the rest of the larger GC locos I have to model.

 

The WR ROD footplate also has the nice large bolt heads on the front frame extension so that's another plus. Also and most useful if you want to build an O4/3 you get the correct cab roof which has the rear angle iron further forward.

 

Something interesting with the O4/7s, it appears that those rebuilt from O4/3s, ie ex RODs, also got a new cab roof or modification as the rear angle iron is now at the rear edge of the cab roof, which is how Bill has modelled it and also accords with all the photos in Yeadon. I also note that you've left a GWR/WR tool box on the tender front - is there evidence of that?

 

I've done up four Bachmann O4s which run on my layout  with more to come, some are in bits so I'm not even sure now how many more I have!   One of mine is an 04/5 utilising the Bill Bedford  3D-printed boiler and cab. One issue I've had is that even though I washed the boiler/cab twice before painting it I've found that over time it develops a speckly finish in places, such as part of the cab sides and firebox and smokebox door which can be  removed temporarily with an over spray of weathering colours before it reappears. All I can conclude is that I didn't prime it properly even though I used an auto primer. May be I should  have used something different but then I've used the auto primer previously on plastic with no issues.

 

As you say you can never have too many O4s on a layout which, even though in my case a fictional joint exGC/GN location.  I even have an unbuilt Ks O4 bought many years ago very cheap and my first O4 on the layout is an old Ks model purchased secondhand in about 1975 but since rebuilt with a new chassis using my first ever Portescap in late 1981 (when they were relatively quiet).

 

Keep up the good work.

 

Andrew  

Edited April 3, 2020 by Woodcock29
add further comment

[St Enodoc]

12 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

When in motion, compared with the 'elegance' of Gresley's gear, they look quite manic.

Compared with a Western 4-6-0, any outside-valve-gear loco looks quite manic...

[Woodcock29]

1 hour ago, St Enodoc said:

Compared with a Western 4-6-0, any outside-valve-gear loco looks quite manic...

 

Any Gresley loco with outside valve gear is poetry in motion and they all have their own character unlike that of a certain other railway where they all look the same  - need I say anymore?

 

Jokes aside, I cut my teeth in modelling back in the early 70s improving valve gear on RTR locos, including an old Triang/Hornby A3 to which I added the combination lever, union link and drop link and a Triang/Hornby Black 5 (the first version which had quite nice fully flanged driving wheels) to which I fitted Ks valve gear - such an improvement at that time.

 

Most of my early kit builds/kit bashes were all big locos with outside valve gear. Now I'm building the rest of what I should have in the way of the smaller inside valve gear locos.

 

Keep safe everyone.

 

Andrew 

[Tony Wright]

6 hours ago, manna said:

G'day Folks

 

Didn't Lord Willoughby's railway end in the station yard at Little Bytham ??

 

terry (aka manna) who's ancestors lived and died in Little Bytham for centuries.

It did Terry,

 

It went across Station Road adjacent to the Willoughby Arms (it was called the Steam Plough in those days, which gives some indication of the pub's age). 

 

Other than a couple of wagon turntables in the goods yard, there was no physical connection to GN main line (opened in 1852 as the 'Towns Line'). In fact, the GN were not much interested in the Willoughby line, despite the fact that the Lord himself (Lord Willoughby, not the ultimate being) rather hoped they'd take it on and even extend it. Today, you'd compare it with a motorway making a junction with a green lane, with no slip roads! 

 

Evidence of the line still exists in places, despite its abandonment nearly 140 years ago....

 

 

The bridge over the River Glen is still there; just.

 

 

It's even possible to walk along the trackbed in places, before spring really takes over.

 

 

What a tranquil scene.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

 

 

[Tony Wright]

Someone mentioned that Little Bytham has been built by a team of artists. A very generous compliment, though I'm the only member of the team who's actually art-trained. The members have been (or are), at certain times in their careers, a civil engineer, telephone engineer, computer expert, baker, carpentry lecturer, surveyor, teacher (as well as me), carriage builder (the real thing), designer, signalman, railwayman, bus driver, mechanical engineer and solicitor. 

 

Those who are part of that team include Ian Wilson, Rob Kinsey, Mick Peabody, Norman Turner, Norman Solomon, Ian Rathbone, Mick Nicholson, Richard Wilson, Tom Foster, Bob Dawson, Scott Waterfield, Graham Nicholas, Geoff Haynes, Geoff West, Tony Gee, Jamie Guest, Dave Wager, Tom Wright, Gilbert Barnatt, Ellen Sparkes and Andrew Burchell. Add on the likes of PMP, Anglian and Teaky (their RMweb names) who've provided figures/miniature artifacts and it's a most-impressive team indeed. I'm a very lucky guy. Thank you gentlemen, and lady. I should also include Mo, of course. Without her there'd be no railway! 

 

Anyway, today's sequence pictures...........

 

 

The Down pick-up reverses into the Down north lay-by. The loco was built by Allen Hammett, and Tony Geary repainted/weathered it. A J39 would not be all that common at LB, but it's a really lovely runner.

 

Some shots seem to work better in B&W.

 

 

Having uncoupled the wagons for LB, the loco has been given the ground peg to reverse across all the running lines to the goods yard, blocking all the fast traffic. Today, such a scene is impossible to imagine.

 

 

A wider view. In order to 'capture' the flavour of the place over 60 years ago, it was important that there was enough space for the railway to 'fit into the landscape'. To that effect, nearly a third of the layout is non-railway. No railway exists in isolation from its environment.

 

 

Shunting completed (Little Bytham had a brewery, hence the grain wagon), the loco heads back to the Down side with vans for Grantham and beyond. The rest of its train waits in the background.

 

 

J6s would be more common on the pick-ups. This one works such a duty on another day.

 

 

With the pick-up back in the lay-by, through traffic then recommences. A York-based B16/1 (Tony Geary's work) works empty stock back to its home. 

 

 

 

It's followed by a Peterborough-Grantham 'parly', taking the Down slow (you'll see why later). 

 

 

Without mains water at the more remote signal boxes, a weekly duty was the 'water train', delivering churns of fresh water. Yet another J6 has the job. One can't have too many J6s (LB has four). RTR anyone? I hope not.

 

I must finish that rodding!

 

 

After waiting for the passage of those Down trains, the pick-up has the ground doll to head to Corby Glen (for more shunting), Ponton and Grantham. 

 

 

Moments after it's departed, it's time for the Up non-stop, 'The Elizabethan'. Here, Haymarket's 'magnificent MERLIN' has the job.

 

 

On another day it'll be KINGFISHER.

 

More later..........

 

 

[Clem]

6 hours ago, Woodcock29 said:

 I found that using the WR ROD is a great starting point. You get the correct footplate shape, which is a critical factor to me, As you say also the correct length reversing rod but I tend to use brass anyway, parallel buffer shanks into which its not hard to fit oval buffers. However, recently I got some Brassmasters nickel silver oval buffer overlay etches out of a deceased estate  which will probably last me for all the rest of the larger GC locos I have to model.

 

The WR ROD footplate also has the nice large bolt heads on the front frame extension so that's another plus. Also and most useful if you want to build an O4/3 you get the correct cab roof which has the rear angle iron further forward.

 

Something interesting with the O4/7s, it appears that those rebuilt from O4/3s, ie ex RODs, also got a new cab roof or modification as the rear angle iron is now at the rear edge of the cab roof, which is how Bill has modelled it and also accords with all the photos in Yeadon. I also note that you've left a GWR/WR tool box on the tender front - is there evidence of that?

 

I've done up four Bachmann O4s which run on my layout  with more to come, some are in bits so I'm not even sure now how many more I have!   One of mine is an 04/5 utilising the Bill Bedford  3D-printed boiler and cab. One issue I've had is that even though I washed the boiler/cab twice before painting it I've found that over time it develops a speckly finish in places, such as part of the cab sides and firebox and smokebox door which can be  removed temporarily with an over spray of weathering colours before it reappears. All I can conclude is that I didn't prime it properly even though I used an auto primer. May be I should  have used something different but then I've used the auto primer previously on plastic with no issues.

 

As you say you can never have too many O4s on a layout which, even though in my case a fictional joint exGC/GN location.  I even have an unbuilt Ks O4 bought many years ago very cheap and my first O4 on the layout is an old Ks model purchased secondhand in about 1975 but since rebuilt with a new chassis using my first ever Portescap in late 1981 (when they were relatively quiet).

Thanks for kind comments , Andrew. I missed the GW tool box on the tender. I'll try to deal with that before doing the weathering. I too have done one of the O4/5s and have another to do. I have similarly found problems with my paint finish and plan to return to it to see if I can cure it. On mine, it takes the form of a fine white crystallisation on the underside of the boiler. Although it's not unlike some of Colwick's hard water effects, it's not quite right and as such so will be revisited. I have 2 K's O4s, one of which is awaiting a new chassis (it's present chassis is P4) and 2 further ones awaiting building. The Bachmann conversions are a fairly easy win (although they do require a bit of effort). I've always liked the O4/7s and intend to build one or two more in the future (including one I remember well 63770 - although it will be out of my time period. I'll be doing that one out of pure sentiment).  Later this year, I'll need to even up the O4-WD ratio on the layout with a DJH build and one or two Bachmann conversions.

On the subject of the Bachmann O4 running plate, I am living with the wrong version on a couple of my O4s. I haven't figured out a way of reliably correcting it yet.

[Jesse Sim]

49 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

Someone mentioned that Little Bytham has been built by a team of artists. A very generous compliment, though I'm the only member of the team who's actually art-trained. The members have been (or are), at certain times in their careers, a civil engineer, telephone engineer, computer expert, baker, carpentry lecturer, surveyor, teacher (as well as me), carriage builder (the real thing), designer, signalman, railwayman, bus driver, mechanical engineer and solicitor. 

 

Those who are part of that team include Ian Wilson, Rob Kinsey, Mick Peabody, Norman Turner, Norman Solomon, Ian Rathbone, Mick Nicholson, Richard Wilson, Tom Foster, Bob Dawson, Scott Waterfield, Graham Nicholas, Geoff Haynes, Geoff West, Tony Gee, Jamie Guest, Dave Wager, Tom Wright, Gilbert Barnatt, Ellen Sparkes and Andrew Burchell. Add on the likes of PMP, Anglian and Teaky (their RMweb names) who've provided figures/miniature artifacts and it's a most-impressive team indeed. I'm a very lucky guy. Thank you gentlemen, and lady. I should also include Mo, of course. Without her there'd be no railway! 

 

Anyway, today's sequence pictures...........

 

 

The Down pick-up reverses into the Down north lay-by. The loco was built by Allen Hammett, and Tony Geary repainted/weathered it. A J39 would not be all that common at LB, but it's a really lovely runner.

 

Some shots seem to work better in B&W.

 

 

Having uncoupled the wagons for LB, the loco has been given the ground peg to reverse across all the running lines to the goods yard, blocking all the fast traffic. Today, such a scene is impossible to imagine.

 

 

A wider view. In order to 'capture' the flavour of the place over 60 years ago, it was important that there was enough space for the railway to 'fit into the landscape'. To that effect, nearly a third of the layout is non-railway. No railway exists in isolation from its environment.

 

 

Shunting completed (Little Bytham had a brewery, hence the grain wagon), the loco heads back to the Down side with vans for Grantham and beyond. The rest of its train waits in the background.

 

 

J6s would be more common on the pick-ups. This one works such a duty on another day.

 

 

With the pick-up back in the lay-by, through traffic then recommences. A York-based B16/1 (Tony Geary's work) works empty stock back to its home. 

 

 

 

It's followed by a Peterborough-Grantham 'parly', taking the Down slow (you'll see why later). 

 

 

Without mains water at the more remote signal boxes, a weekly duty was the 'water train', delivering churns of fresh water. Yet another J6 has the job. One can't have too many J6s (LB has four). RTR anyone? I hope not.

 

I must finish that rodding!

 

 

After waiting for the passage of those Down trains, the pick-up has the ground doll to head to Corby Glen (for more shunting), Ponton and Grantham. 

 

 

Moments after it's departed, it's time for the Up non-stop, 'The Elizabethan'. Here, Haymarket's 'magnificent MERLIN' has the job.

 

 

On another day it'll be KINGFISHER.

 

More later..........

 

 

Ahh the famous water train, how many guess did I have until I gave up and you told me the answer?