Wright writes.....

[davidw]

41 minutes ago, LNER4479 said:

Evening Tony et al.

 

You might remember this?

 

 

'Build a coach in a day' (Boxing Day). Well, it wasn't all done in a day ... but it is now finished:

 

 

Only another nine more to build!

That's impressive. Thanks for posting

[Tony Teague]

4 hours ago, Mick Bonwick said:

 

You could become the Retford Folk. A somewhat more refined mob.

 

'Refined'!

Not sure where you would have got that idea!

[MJI]

4 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Good evening Martin,

 

Visitors are always invited to bring things along when they come to Little Bytham (when they did) and give them a run. I always find it very interesting; all kinds of unusual locos stock have appeared, as well as the more-typical. One HO 'Big Boy' proved to be a bit too big, threatening to demolish bridges and platform edges. 

 

It's understood that visiting stock must have reasonably 'scale' wheels. By that I mean not-to-deep flanges (Lima, Trix, Tri-ang, etc) and back-to-backs of 14.4mm. Anything British with tender drive is taboo as well. Most modern RTR fits the bill, though some can still be a bit tight on the b-t-bs.

 

Though my elder son did some conversions using Lima mechanisms, those which have the original Lima wheels don't run on LB (though some have been posed for photographic purposes) and any that do (though very rarely, because they were made for Stoke in diesel mode) have UltraScale replacement wheelsets.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

Hello Tony

 

you invited me a few years ago, and if I was going to bring anythong it would have included a Eastern region cross country set with Lima 47 and a Lima bogied bar car (can be Replica'ed).

 

Also thinking about something you do not have on LB but should have.

[jollysmart]

On 27/01/2021 at 19:47, t-b-g said:

 

Ken hasn't changed. Still very clever and still lacking confidence in his ability!

 

I think you may be a bit out with your 50 years ago. Roy, Geoff and John built High Dyke in the late 1970s. I don't know how many times it appeared at EXPO EM at Paddington but certainly one time it was there, very much the star of the show, I was there with a layout, so it must have been the early 1980s.

 

I was looking up the dates and found this:

 

 https://auctions.goldingyoung.com/m/lot-details/index/catalog/111/lot/80524

 

I hadn't been to London often and there were three layouts that all arrived at about the same time on the Friday evening by the hotel back door, with about ten or a dozen operators. A tiny lady of far eastern origin, about 4ft 6" tall, approached us and uttered the words "Right then gentleman, who is going first?". I had no idea what she was talking about but she was politely advised by others that we were too busy and she left. 

 

 

High Dyke  followed Gainsborough Central that was constructed in the loft of Roys bungalow in Lea near Gainsborough in the early 70's. I first met Roy when he rocked up at the Scunthorpe Model railway club, they had a permanent layout in a library in the town. he arrived with Doug Hewson who gained fame with his ground level 5inch railway activities. Roy soon invited a few of us over to Lea to help him with Gainsborough central and 4 of us used to go over one evening a week, I remember that we exhibited it in the Central Hall in Harrogate, probably 1972 and we were next to David Jenkinson who had Garsdale Road I think at that time. He was having trouble with one of his locos, a Royal Scot when Roy whipped one of our basically Triang Brush type 2s with the original wheels remove and Jackson coach wheels drilled out and pushed onto the plastic axles, plonked it on Garsdale and off it went much to the annoyance of Jenks who had explained that his loco had Beeson wheels etc.

 

I went with Roy to loads of places and he always seemed to know people wherever we went. He produced a really nice LMS Crab which he had professionally painted especially for the annual meeting of  EPARM, the East Pennine Association of Railway Modellers which that year was held in Sunderland. He won the cup for the best loco in the competition. It was a hectic day but we did visit Gateshead depot and the old York roundhouse on the way back.

 

When Roy was at work on shifts he used to leave at 2pm and I would drive down to his house and i would have a few hours up in his loft basically tinkering about with Gainsborough or Roy building locos or just messing about. We did build an articulated  set with 3 Hornby Dublo tinplate Gresley coaches as one daft "project" but Roy was already getting to the limit of Central and looking for a proper East Coast layout to run streaks and other pacific as well as the  odd Deltic or HST.

 

About the time Central was complete I got married so I was never involved with the construction of High Dyke but I did operate it a few times at exhibition but never as an actual operator just a visitor to the exhibition. Roy always wanted to build Retford but like most of us by the time he was able to start he had lost a good few productive years that would have made a huge difference. I did see Roy at several EMGS meetings and when he had a section of Retford on display I questioned his sanity which  he just laughed  off.  He might not have been a great manager but he always had a way of getting people to pitch in and help which I think drove his projects forward.

 

 

Edited January 28, 2021 by jollysmart

[Barry O]

I met Roy for the first time when High Dyke was at a Leeds Show in the Corn Exchange. He had a twinkle in his eye as a certain compensated rodent with "tail lamp" wizzed past the spectators at speed.

 

 

Baz

[t-b-g]

8 hours ago, jollysmart said:

 

 

High Dyke  followed Gainsborough Central that was constructed in the loft of Roys bungalow in Lea near Gainsborough in the early 70's. I first met Roy when he rocked up at the Scunthorpe Model railway club, the had a permanent layout in library in the town. he arrived with Doug Hewson who gained fame with his ground level 5inch railway activities. Roy soon invited a few of us over to Lea to help him with Gainsborough central and 4 of us used to go over one evening a week, I remember that we exhibited it in the Central Hall in Harrogate, probably 1972 and we were next to David Jenkinson who had Garsdale Road I think at that time. He wa shaving trouble with one of his locos, a Royal Scot I think when Roy whipped one of our basically Triang Brush type 2s with the original wheels remove and Jackson coach wheels drilled out and pushed onto the plastic axles, plonked it on Garsdale and off it went much to the annoyance of jerks who had explained that his loco had Beeson wheels etc.

 

I went with Roy to loads of places and he always seemed to know people wherever we went. He produced a really nice LMS Crab which he had professionally painted especially for the annual meeting of  EPARM, the East Pennine Association of Railway Modellers which that year was held in Sunderland. he won the cup for the best loco in the competition. It was a hectic day but we did visit gateshead depot and the old York roundhouse on the way back.

 

When roy was at work on shifts he used to leave at 2 and I would drive down to his house and i would have a few hours up in his loft basically tinkering about with Gainsborough or Roy building locos or just messing about. We did build an articulated  set with 3 Hornby Dublo Gresley coaches as one daft "project" but Roy was already getting to the limit of Central and looking for a proper East Coast layout to run streaks and other pacific as well as the  odd Deltic or HST.

 

About the time Central was complete I got married so I was never involved with the construction of High Dyke but I did operate it a few times at exhibition but never as an actual operator just a visitor to the exhibition. Roy always wanted to build Retford but like most of us by the time he was able to start he had lost a good few productive years that would have made a huge difference. I did see Roy at several EMGS meetings and when he had a section of Retford on display I did question his sanity which  he just laughed  off.  He might not have been a great manager but he always had a way of getting people to pitch in and help which I think drove his project forward.

 

 

 

What great memories to have. Roy often talked to me and John Phillips still does about those early days with great affection. Some of the stories are pretty wild and not suitable for wider circulation. They usually involve fast cars, alcohol and women! 

[Tony Wright]

9 hours ago, MJI said:

 

Hello Tony

 

you invited me a few years ago, and if I was going to bring anythong it would have included a Eastern region cross country set with Lima 47 and a Lima bogied bar car (can be Replica'ed).

 

Also thinking about something you do not have on LB but should have.

There are lots of things I don't have on Little Bytham (but should have?), Richard,

 

What specifically, please? 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Tony Wright]

10 hours ago, Headstock said:

 

Good evening bbishop,

 

Set 459 was reassembled as an eight set in 1939 consisting of 3666,1242, 5587, 5589, 5648,1816, 1818 and 3667. 1242 and 5648 were re allocated in 1949. The set worked cross country services to Birkenhead and York/Newcastle in the late forties early fifties being re allocated to Bristol services in 1953.  Set 880 replaced 459 on the Bournemouth York/ Newcastle workings, this was a MK1 four set, with two lose Bulleid thirds and two Maunsell rebuilt catering carriages.

 

Set 459 ran as six set on the York trains plus two catering carriages in the winter time table and was made up to ten carriages in the summer. Two additional loose carriages were part of the booked formation, marshalled outside of the brakes on Fridays and Saturdays. There could be more lose carriages added as required but only recorded in photographs. The same arrangement continued with set 880. Over the years, I have gathered many photographs of set 459 in action, two are shown below. The first of leading brake 3666 on the post war  Birkenhead service.

 

 

 

The second is the eight carriage formation at Rugby circa 1951.

 

 

 

I have modelled set 880. The Maunsell dining composite was yet to be completed when the photo was taken the leading Maunsell is a stand in, the set is now withdrawn.

 

Photo courtesy of Derek Shore, digi Sky photographed and comped by me.

 

 

The train was upgraded to set 459. This is the eight carriage formation, it is currently running with the two lose Friday extras.

 

Photo courtesy of Chris Nevard, digi Sky photographed and comped by me.

 

 

 

Wonderful stuff, Andrew.

 

Some of the finest modelling and model railway photography I've ever seen.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[MJI]

6 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

There are lots of things I don't have on Little Bytham (but should have?), Richard,

 

What specifically, please? 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

Martin

 

Derby DMU the long one

[Tony Wright]

2 hours ago, Barry O said:

I met Roy for the first time when High Dyke was at a Leeds Show in the Corn Exchange. He had a twinkle in his eye as a certain compensated rodent with "tail lamp" wizzed past the spectators at speed.

 

 

Baz

Good morning Baz,

 

I first saw High Dyke at the Manchester show (40 years ago?). I never saw anything else, just spent the whole of the Friday evening in front of it.

 

The story's been told already, but not all might know it. I had the foolishness to point out to Roy that an A3 he had running had the wrong dome. As Cutler has mentioned, the response was a two letter phrase, one of four letters and one of three! I'd never spoken to Roy before.......................

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Tony Wright]

2 minutes ago, MJI said:

 

Martin

 

Derby DMU the long one

Interesting.

 

The DMs only ran on a Saturday in the summer of 1958, working a Peterborough-Lincoln service along the main line as far as Barkston, thence along the foot of the escarpment to Lincoln, calling at all stations. With the closure of the intermediate stations in 1959, the service was not repeated.

 

Peter Coster relates travelling in one unit, which was a Cravens type (which I have). Anecdotal evidence suggests any other units were Derby 'Lightweights' (which Ian Wilson has). 

 

Is there any hard photographic evidence showing these DMUs on the main line? One used to run on High Dyke, but I can't remember which sort.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[thegreenhowards]

10 hours ago, Headstock said:

 

Good evening bbishop,

 

Set 459 was reassembled as an eight set in 1939 consisting of 3666,1242, 5587, 5589, 5648,1816, 1818 and 3667. 1242 and 5648 were re allocated in 1949. The set worked cross country services to Birkenhead and York/Newcastle in the late forties early fifties being re allocated to Bristol services in 1953.  Set 880 replaced 459 on the Bournemouth York/ Newcastle workings, this was a MK1 four set, with two lose Bulleid thirds and two Maunsell rebuilt catering carriages.

 

Set 459 ran as six set on the York trains plus two catering carriages in the winter time table and was made up to ten carriages in the summer. Two additional loose carriages were part of the booked formation, marshalled outside of the brakes on Fridays and Saturdays. There could be more lose carriages added as required but only recorded in photographs. The same arrangement continued with set 880. Over the years, I have gathered many photographs of set 459 in action, two are shown below. The first of leading brake 3666 on the post war  Birkenhead service.

 

 

 

The second is the eight carriage formation at Rugby circa 1951.

 

 

 

I have modelled set 880. The Maunsell dining composite was yet to be completed when the photo was taken the leading Maunsell is a stand in, the set is now withdrawn.

 

Photo courtesy of Derek Shore, digi Sky photographed and comped by me.

 

 

The train was upgraded to set 459. This is the eight carriage formation, it is currently running with the two lose Friday extras.

 

Photo courtesy of Chris Nevard, digi Sky photographed and comped by me.

 

 

 

Andrew,

 

A simple ‘like’ isn’t sufficient for that piece. It’s that sort of research and subsequent modelling which makes LSGC the inspiration that it is (to me at least). Thanks for posting.

 

Andy

[MJI]

1 hour ago, Tony Wright said:

Interesting.

 

The DMs only ran on a Saturday in the summer of 1958, working a Peterborough-Lincoln service along the main line as far as Barkston, thence along the foot of the escarpment to Lincoln, calling at all stations. With the closure of the intermediate stations in 1959, the service was not repeated.

 

Peter Coster relates travelling in one unit, which was a Cravens type (which I have). Anecdotal evidence suggests any other units were Derby 'Lightweights' (which Ian Wilson has). 

 

Is there any hard photographic evidence showing these DMUs on the main line? One used to run on High Dyke, but I can't remember which sort.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

Was thinking of the talk about them a couple of months ago, then I realised the body profile is same as Lima suburban and I have a mould for the headcode box, a Sillouette Cameo, around 20 sheets of 10 thou and a couple of spare Lima bodies.

 

The ones below are for a  Swindon Cross Country which will use home made sides on heavily modified Triang floors and roofs, and bogies will hopefully be Trix based or copied.

 

I also have drawn up ready to go the W79xxx sets

 

[jrg1]

58 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

Interesting.

 

The DMs only ran on a Saturday in the summer of 1958, working a Peterborough-Lincoln service along the main line as far as Barkston, thence along the foot of the escarpment to Lincoln, calling at all stations. With the closure of the intermediate stations in 1959, the service was not repeated.

 

Peter Coster relates travelling in one unit, which was a Cravens type (which I have). Anecdotal evidence suggests any other units were Derby 'Lightweights' (which Ian Wilson has). 

 

Is there any hard photographic evidence showing these DMUs on the main line? One used to run on High Dyke, but I can't remember which sort.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Here's one I found:-

[MJI]

10 thou outside

2 x 20 thou spacers and probably car filler to side profile.

2 x 20 thou inside sides.

Strips on top and bottom to locate on Triang chassis and roofs

Mods are full strip of chassis to ends and base, including gangways and trussing. Roof gutter filed off and replaced with strip underneath (Swindon same width but 0.5mm deeper, sides are 0.5mm shallower.

 

So sides will be just over 2mm thick of 5 layers of plasticard.

[MJI]

2 minutes ago, jrg1 said:

Here's one I found:-

 

I was looking at 114s

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_114

[LNER4479]

15 minutes ago, MJI said:

10 thou outside

2 x 20 thou spacers and probably car filler to side profile.

2 x 20 thou inside sides.

Strips on top and bottom to locate on Triang chassis and roofs

Mods are full strip of chassis to ends and base, including gangways and trussing. Roof gutter filed off and replaced with strip underneath (Swindon same width but 0.5mm deeper, sides are 0.5mm shallower.

 

So sides will be just over 2mm thick of 5 layers of plasticard.

You've just answered the question I was about to ask! Be interested to see how they turn out.

 

13 minutes ago, MJI said:

 

I was looking at 114s

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_114

I remember bouncing and swaying across the fens on them, en route from Grantham to Wainfleet and Skegness ...

[MJI]

I think there are 5 or 6 of us on here knocking up random DMUs.

 

Clive is most well known Signaller 69 and a few more

[Headstock]

2 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Wonderful stuff, Andrew.

 

Some of the finest modelling and model railway photography I've ever seen.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

Thanks Tony,

 

a big team of people, from telegraph pole makers to cloth shakers, non of whom would claim to be the best. They do have a rather old fashioned name for the 'massive' though. Shipley Model Railway Society.

[Tony Wright]

In an example of cross-thread fertilisation, mention has been made on Brighton Junction about representing burnt areas on cuttings and embankments caused by steam locos throwing out glowing coals. 

 

I represented such a feature on Stoke Summit................

 

 

It can be seen just above the chimney of this A1.

 

 

And ahead of this B1.

 

 

And to the left in this shot.

 

All I did was pluck out any applied 'vegetation' and then use various shades of acrylics, dabbed on. 

 

Has anyone else represented this once-common feature? 

 

 

[FarrMan]

Tony

 

Just been watching your video for World of Railways. I do not have sound on this computer (my own moved to our new residence a month ago, and we don't until next week!), so was reading the automatic subtitles with amusement. Bachmann was interpreted variously as Batman or Black Man, and kits came out as kids, with some interesting changes of meaning!

 

Very good - I look forward to watching it again with sound in a couple of weeks time.

 

Lloyd

[Bucoops]

32 minutes ago, FarrMan said:

Tony

 

Just been watching your video for World of Railways. I do not have sound on this computer (my own moved to our new residence a month ago, and we don't until next week!), so was reading the automatic subtitles with amusement. Bachmann was interpreted variously as Batman or Black Man, and kits came out as kids, with some interesting changes of meaning!

 

Very good - I look forward to watching it again with sound in a couple of weeks time.

 

Lloyd

 

I suspect it won't be as fun?!

[john new]

4 hours ago, FarrMan said:

Tony

 

Just been watching your video for World of Railways. I do not have sound on this computer (my own moved to our new residence a month ago, and we don't until next week!), so was reading the automatic subtitles with amusement. Bachmann was interpreted variously as Batman or Black Man, and kits came out as kids, with some interesting changes of meaning!

 

Very good - I look forward to watching it again with sound in a couple of weeks time.

 

Lloyd

Where is the setting to turn that on? I often watch model railway videos with the sound off (naff music avoidance) so would be useful to know when there is talk/commentary.

 

Edit - now found.

 

Edited January 28, 2021 by john new
As shown.

[josephmarsh]

Could someone pass this on to Tony Wright please!

Hi, New to this and not sure how to reach you.

I bought a metal kit of an engine that ran at Round Oak Steel Works in the late 60s. I'm getting nowhere building it and after getting no reply from a local model club i'm stuck.

Seeing your Right Track dvds and then today seeing you show what you'd been doing during lockdown I wondered if you could help and at what cost.

The engine is a Judith Edge Kit of a Yorkshire Engine  DE2 060 diesel, please see pictures.

If i sent the kit to you could you build and paint it ready for a DCC chip, I have a motor, though you would probably know of a better item.

Yes I know what i'm asking you to do, but after paying £50 for a box of bits, It's just sitting there doing nothing.

Parts of the main body, chassis and cab have been soldered together, I just cant work out what part is what and don't have the skill to do anything else.

The pictures are of the kit built by Judith Edge, I only built part of the chassis sub frame, second picture is it finished and 3rd is real engine at R O Steel works 

Please give me some idea of the cost.

Kindest regards

Joseph Marsh

Edited February 9, 2021 by josephmarsh
spelling mistake and no response

[Tony Wright]

1 hour ago, FarrMan said:

Tony

 

Just been watching your video for World of Railways. I do not have sound on this computer (my own moved to our new residence a month ago, and we don't until next week!), so was reading the automatic subtitles with amusement. Bachmann was interpreted variously as Batman or Black Man, and kits came out as kids, with some interesting changes of meaning!

 

Very good - I look forward to watching it again with sound in a couple of weeks time.

 

Lloyd

Which video is that, Lloyd?

 

Whichever it is, the automatic subtitles are nothing to do with me. From my experience, they're hopeless.

 

Regards,

 

Tony.