Jump to content
 

North London Railway


Recommended Posts

A member of the 2mm Association had a run of the London Road carriage etches done in 2mm scale, while another etched some chassis for them. I think the NLR would make a very interesting subject with the complexities of different railways interacting in the East End. Do you have a copy of the HMSO publication North London Railway a Pictorial Record? - very good source material.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Steve Dunkeyson had some of the London Road Models etches shot down to 2mm scale. David Eveleigh produced 2mm etched chassis for them. Contact details for both are in the 2mm yearbook.

 

I think I might have one of the coaches and some chassis etches going spare if you're interested? I'll have a look in the gloat box and see what I can find. From memory there was an interesting issue with the etched chassis that made them a bit more challenging to build than normal 2mm chassis.

 

The North London Railway Historical Society is worth joining if you're interested - regular meetings in the London area and an excellent Journal (but I am slightly biased - my father used to be the secretary!).

 

Andy

Link to post
Share on other sites

I also have an interest in NLR. I bought an NLR 4-4-0 brass kit from Peter K at Scaleforum in about 1987 - I eventually managed to finish it a few years back - I don't think they are still available. Its in P4 with a Portescap but I can't remember whose wheels.

 

I also built a white metal GEM/Branchlines 0-6-0, also in P4. Blacksmiths also did a brass 0-6-0.

 

Some years ago I bought a really good book on the NLR published by either the Science Museum or the LT Museum (the former I think - will check when I get home on Sunday). This is a large landscape book with many official NLR photos and drawings.

post-7723-0-49390800-1381526559_thumb.jpg

post-7723-0-72122500-1381526585.jpg

post-7723-0-05048900-1381526773_thumb.jpg

post-7723-0-79682300-1381526820_thumb.jpg

  • Like 14
  • Craftsmanship/clever 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

The NLR was and is a fascinating line. Today much of it is part of the Overground network, and has frequent trains packed with people, but even in its Cinderella days of 40 or 50 years ago a trip from Richmond to Broad Street was enormously enlightening, simply because it crosses over so many of the main lines from London to the West and North, and has/had connections to here, there and nearly everywhere, with freight trains in abundance.

 

Whatever era you like, the NLR provides a stunning prototype with a grand mixture of services and trains.

  • Like 1
  • Agree 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Some years ago I bought a really good book on the NLR published by either the Science Museum or the LT Museum (the former I think - will check when I get home on Sunday). This is a large landscape book with many official NLR photos and drawings.

 

OK, home now and I got that wrong, it is The North London Railway, A Pictorial Record published by the National Railway Museum and not attributed to any authors, copyright 1979 and a steal when I bought it at 3 pounds 50p. (ISBN 0 11 290273 1).

Other books I have are:-

The North London Railway by Michael Robbins (The Oakwood Press), 30 page A5 size, condensed history with route map and a fer photos.

North London Line by Vic Mitchell and Keith Smith (Middleton Press) deals with the history and current use (as of 1997),

Locomotives Illustrated No 129 NLR Tank Locomotives (Jan-Feb 2000), very useful, includes plenty of photos and Class tables with dates, serial numbers etc.

Hope this is of use.

Edited by Jeff Smith
  • Agree 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

I recommend the book "The North London Railway" by Dennis Lovett - yes, he of Bachmann - published by Irwell Press and recently updated.

 

Chris

 

I hope they've fixed all the mistakes in the version I had. It was a passable book, lots of nice photo material, very little on the stock and operation (less in fact than the Robbins book), and was more like a set of notes than an actual proper narrative.

 

Thanks for the pointers on NLR drawings.. I'd been hunting for some with a view to doing an NLR loco or two as well as coaches.

 

There is a certain amount of really interesting operational information in the Zerah Colburn book, not a lot but it was one line he recorded some of the performance information on.

 

Certainly a railway that in the early days was ahead of its time with clockface timetabling and train brakes.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

If you can find them (eBay is a good source) the Stephenson Locomotive Society had a series containing references and drawings for all the NLR classes as follows:

 

       1933 pp.123 et seq The NLR 4-4-0 Tanks, mostly early inside cylinder loco references

Nov 1939 Class '51' 4-4-0 Inside Cylinder Tanks

Mar 1940 Class 1-10 4-4-0 Outside Cylinder Tanks

May 1940 ditto continued

July 1940 ditto cont.

Aug 1940 Class '75' 0-6-0 Tanks

and somewhere though I haven't found it (yet) in my library; sometime 1940-41 a journal on the Class '43' 4-4-0 Tanks

 

The Locomotive Jan 15 1944 through to Nov 1944 had a series of informative articles and drawings/photos on NLR engines

 

'Locomotives Worth Modelling' by F C Hambleton, pp. 114 - 124, has good illustrations and ref. for 4-4-0T O/C No  48 and 0-6-0T No 80

 

19C Railway drawings by Alan Prior has an illustration of an earlier 4-4-0T showing useful cab and half section valve plate drawings

 

The NRM have a whole swath of drawings which I worked through with David Hanson (NLRHS member) in 2005 and I can probably find reference numbers if you want them.

Lastly the 'Skinley' drawings range have all three major classes available, and are reasonable efforts. 

 

As far as I know the 'GEM' 0-6-0T kit is no longer available, though the Branchlines chassis kit may be.  The Mallard Models 0-6-0T kit is probably a better bet if you can find one.

Peter K did a pretty good Class '51' kit though he doesn't have any castings to go with it ( I do have fittings which I made and cast myself though if you need them, chimney / dome / etc..  His coaches are pretty inferior to the LRM ones and again he has no castings.

 

It was announced that Jim Connor was producing a resin kit for the 4-4-0T O/C loco through the NLRHS mailing group last year sometime.  I did offer any help with castings / references and pattern making they might need, but had no response and all has been quiet since so I may think of resurrecting my kit plans if they aren't going to do one.  Scratchbuilding one was enough to convince me that if I wanted 5 or 6 a kit would save my sanity!  LRM did talk some time ago of making a kit, but again I suspect they have enough easier projects to do without tackling that particular beastie!

Edited by Adams442T
  • Like 1
  • Informative/Useful 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Branchlines does a complete package for the NL Tank, Gem body, etched chassis, motor, g/b, wheels and detailing kit.  The chassis has a choice of 00, EM or P4 spacers.  Branchlines supplied Gibson wheels in place of the Romfords for me.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Narrow Road is based loosely on Broad Street, set around 1923/4. We have a GEM 0-6-0 and a 10 carriage set of close coupled London Road 4 wheelers.

 

Some of the very early "Jinty" 3Fs were put to work on the passenger trains, so we have an Alan Gibson kit fitted with destination boards for working the passenger train, while the goods tank potters about in the yard.

 

Much of the other traffic is LNWR with a bit of Midland and GNR thrown in, on the basis that after grouping, we can be a bit, shall we say, flexible in our approach. There was a short lived long distance run from Broad Street to (from memory) Birmingham, so we have said that this service was successful and resulted in more long distance express workings.

 

You can see some photos of the layout at www.narrowroadlayout.co.uk

 

It is a certainly a very interesting line to use as a basis for models.

 

Tony

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

I posted this on another topic, but don't forget the goods stock either.

 

The inspiration for this was one I saw on the late Geoff William's 'Aylesbury' layout.

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=1956

Edited by Penlan
  • Like 4
Link to post
Share on other sites

I posted this on another topic, but don't forget the goods stock either.

 

The inspiration for this was one I saw on the late Geoff William's 'Aylesbury' layout.

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=1956

 

Nice modelling Pen, is the NLR wagon scratch-built or a modded Ratio LNWR wagon?.  Love the Penlan layout too, I used to live between Leinthal Starkes and Kington where I'd often thought a joint LNWR / GWR line could easily have been justified........................

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

Coming along nicely Gareth. Per post #13 above, I pivoted both bogie sides and added pickups (not split-frame). I also added some weight in the tanks. My kit did not have a cab floor so I had to make one from brass.

 

I dug out the remainder of the waterslide transfers from Kemco/Modelmaster but unfortunately there is no reference number. I believe I asked Modelmaster's advice and they just sent some red/grey lining with corners and curved lines the correct radius for the tank cut-outs.

 

Going back to the bogie I mounted it on a springy wire with rubbing plate to set the height.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

I posted this on another topic, but don't forget the goods stock either.

 

The inspiration for this was one I saw on the late Geoff William's 'Aylesbury' layout.

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=1956

Similarly, what's the provenance of the E&WYU wagon ? I've always fancied one of these but not enough to cut loose with the plasticard...

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...