Train spotting at Finsbury Square

[Oldddudders]

21 minutes ago, 31A said:

 

Yes that's what I was thinking of really but don't think Guards would get in there.  Cleaners, maybe?

 

Fair point. I don't know how cleaners and footplatemen "got along", although I think cleaners were part of, indeed the root of,  the footplate line of promotion, which, in that era, no other grade could claim.  

[jazzer]

4 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

Fair point. I don't know how cleaners and footplatemen "got along", although I think cleaners were part of, indeed the root of,  the footplate line of promotion, which, in that era, no other grade could claim.  

 There is also of course the question of passed cleaners.  I doubt if they were allowed in only on the days when they were firing and banned when they were merely cleaning .  Then again, if the Nine Elms folklore is to believed most of their breaks between trips were spent in the pub anyway.

[Mallard60022]

5 hours ago, jazzer said:

 There is also of course the question of passed cleaners.  I doubt if they were allowed in only on the days when they were firing and banned when they were merely cleaning .  Then again, if the Nine Elms folklore is to believed most of their breaks between trips were spent in the pub anyway.

Yup, that last little gem makes it appear that there were quite a lot of crews not fit to be on the footplate. No wonder the Pacifics were driven at crazy speeds at times in the last couple of years of steam. 

P

[jazzer]

1 hour ago, Mallard60022 said:

Yup, that last little gem makes it appear that there were quite a lot of crews not fit to be on the footplate. No wonder the Pacifics were driven at crazy speeds at times in the last couple of years of steam. 

P

 

I can only go by what I was told by ex- Nine Elms Driver Clive Groom when I attended several of his Footplate Days and Ways courses learning to drive steam locos variously on the Bluebell, Llangollen and Spa Valley railways. According to Clive after a run down to Bournemouth on a Pacific, a couple of pints would go down followed by a curry cooked on the shovel with no problem, but on the electrics a couple of beers would make it difficult to keep awake because there was no physical effort involved and the job was boring enough as it was, once steam finished. In fact, once steam finished,  Clive and several other drive# eventually left the railway because there was no longer any interest in the job.

In his book, based on extracts from his diary he says that inFrance Drivers are allowed to drink half a bottle of wine while on duty during their working day, and that in 1956 he travelled on a French engine in France and noted that the crew had at least two bottles of wine in a specially made bracket on the outside of the engine to keep them cool .

Ive never heard it said, though , that either Joe Duddington or Bill Hoole were anything other than stone cold sober when making their famous 100mph Plus , records on Gresley pacifics. I do remember one occasion in about the late 70’s / early 80’s stopping at Carlisle where crews changed and there were a number of crews sitting with drinks  outside the bar on the station, which was disconcerting.

I think we have to accept that it was a very different world 50 years ago. 

Edited February 7, 2020 by jazzer

[31A]

A good day out at Doncaster yesterday with Phil Mallard60022 and Clive Mortimore for company, and lots of other people to have a chat with.  The standard of layouts was pretty good and seemed to be better than I remembered from the past (I don't think I've been for a couple of years).

 

A very useful find among the second hand traders was a Bachmann Mobil 14T tank wagon, of the type seen in pictures of King's Cross Loco in the late 50s / early 60s, so I hope this will be the start of a small fleet to supply the diesels in Finsbury Square's new loco yard.

 

Sadly however as with many Bachmann 10' WB wagons, the brake gear is a work of fiction - Moreton clutch on one side but no cross shaft (these wagons usually have independent brake gear anyway) and the push rods wrongly aligned so that putting the lever down would actually take the brakes off!  I'm afraid I seem to have a 'thing' about illogical wagon brakes in the way that incorrect valve gear return cranks upset others, so I've spent most of the day putting it right.  The picture below shows most of what I did using some etched V hangers and a spare set of Ratio brake gear, and I also added a representation of the bottom discharge which this kind of wagon had.

 

 

[lezz01]

Nice it looks good Steve.

Regards Lez.

[31A]

Thank you Lezz.  Looking at that picture perhaps I could have replaced the brake levers with brass ones, but they are the same as on all the other Bachmann wagons and don't look that bad in reality.

[31A]

And then there were four!

 

Yesterday morning I discovered that Bachmann had made a set of three Mobil tank wagons for Hereford Model Centre, and that they had some in stock.  I placed an order at half past ten yesterday, and before noon today they were delivered.  The same postie dropped off some items I had ordered from Eileen's Emporium on Monday - the power of internet shopping never ceases to amaze me.

 

The wagons have factory applied weathering but it looks much better than some I've seen, and at least this will save me having to renumber any.  I think four is about the right number, with normally two in the depot and tow in transit any one time.  I don't know whether or not I'll bother to alter the brake gear as I did with the first one, although I usually do.

 

Behind the tank wagons are two LNER 20T Loco Coal wagons, built from Parkside kits that I'd had in store for years - their time has now come.  I need to work up enthusiasm to make them rusty!

 

 

[Mallard60022]

On 07/02/2020 at 15:51, jazzer said:

There is also of course the question of passed cleaners.  I doubt if they were allowed in only on the days when they were firing and banned when they were merely cleaning .  Then again, if the Nine Elms folklore is to believed most of their breaks between trips were spent in the pub anyway.

Those look excellent Steve. In case anyone else was interested, could you reveal how many sets were left after your purchase? I had a look, but I will not reveal in case you thought better not to for any reason.

I will say though that Hereford Models is a wonderful place and has a cellar full of stuff that just seems to be 'in store'. How do I know this.....? They really do have some rare stuff so always worth an ask if one is looking for something you thought had disappeared off the radar.

Your Shed is really starting to take on a working atmosphere.

Phil

Edited February 12, 2020 by Mallard60022
Spelline!

[31A]

7 minutes ago, Mallard60022 said:

Those look excellent Steve. In case anyone else was interested, could you reveal how many sets were left after your purchase? I had a look, but I will not reveal in case you thought better no to for any reason.

I will say though that Hereford Models is a wonderful place and has a cellar full of stuff that just seems to be 'in store'. How do I know this.....? They really do have some rare stuff so always worth an ask if one is looking for something you thought had disappeared off the radar.

Your Shed is really starting to take on a working atmosphere.

Phil

 

No problem Phil - at the moment their web site indicates 112 in stock.  I've never visited the shop myself (being rather distant from where I live) but have purchased items from them at shows and I'm certainly very impressed by the speed of their service!

[lezz01]

Hi Steve. Making steel bodied wagons rusty is the best bit of building them from kits in my opinion. I have a system I developed years ago when I weathered a whole load of 16 and 21 tonners in P4 for a friends layout. It's best to start rusting them from the start before you paint them in their body colour but that's just the way I do it.

Regards Lez.   

[jwealleans]

I used to have a customer in Hereford and HMC is an easy walk from the station.   It's an absolute Aladdin's cave, the sort of model shop every major town ought to have.

[Clive Mortimore]

4 hours ago, 31A said:

And then there were four!

 

Yesterday morning I discovered that Bachmann had made a set of three Mobil tank wagons for Hereford Model Centre, and that they had some in stock.  I placed an order at half past ten yesterday, and before noon today they were delivered.  The same postie dropped off some items I had ordered from Eileen's Emporium on Monday - the power of internet shopping never ceases to amaze me.

 

The wagons have factory applied weathering but it looks much better than some I've seen, and at least this will save me having to renumber any.  I think four is about the right number, with normally two in the depot and tow in transit any one time.  I don't know whether or not I'll bother to alter the brake gear as I did with the first one, although I usually do.

 

Behind the tank wagons are two LNER 20T Loco Coal wagons, built from Parkside kits that I'd had in store for years - their time has now come.  I need to work up enthusiasm to make them rusty!

 

 

I know I am a diesel modeller, a question about that loco. It don't look very LNERish, is it lost?

[great northern]

1 hour ago, Clive Mortimore said:

I know I am a diesel modeller, a question about that loco. It don't look very LNERish, is it lost?

Verisimilitude, dear boy.  It appeared for AWS trials in the mid/late 50s, goodness knows why. There was a Fowler 2.6.4T as well, or maybe two.

[31A]

1 hour ago, Clive Mortimore said:

I know I am a diesel modeller, a question about that loco. It don't look very LNERish, is it lost?

 

Quite right Clive; perhaps not lost but more than slightly off it's usual patch.  It seems to have arrived on the morning Parly from Peterborough, and will go back on the lunchtime one.  Goodness knows how it got there in the first place, being 44668, of Carlisle Kingmoor according to the Locoshed Book!  The allocations that the Timetable Spreadsheet throws up never cease to amaze me; it's got a mind of its own.

[31A]

Just now, great northern said:

Verisimilitude, dear boy.  It appeared for AWS trials in the mid/late 50s, goodness knows why. There was a Fowler 2.6.4T as well, or maybe two.

 

Good excuse Gilbert, why didn't I think of that!  KX did have a Black 5 allocated for that purpose for a while, but not that one!

[Mallard60022]

1 hour ago, Clive Mortimore said:

I know I am a diesel modeller, a question about that loco. It don't look very LNERish, is it lost?

Just being 'serviced' after arriving locally with a transfer goods from Willesden, where it had arrived the previous evening on a Troop extra. I have just checked in Motive Power Miscellany Trains Illustrated, May 1960. It left for Willesden shortly after this photograph was taken. Its' working back to Carlisle has not been recorded. The Troop Train was heading for Aldershot (and had originated at Preston) and was worked from Willesden by a Spamilicious Battle of Britain Class Pacific, sadly unidentified by the observer.

Mary Whitehouse.

[Clive Mortimore]

18 minutes ago, Mallard60022 said:

Just being 'serviced' after arriving locally with a transfer goods from Willesden, where it had arrived the previous evening on a Troop extra. I have just checked in Motive Power Miscellany Trains Illustrated, May 1960. It left for Willesden shortly after this photograph was taken. Its' working back to Carlisle has not been recorded. The Troop Train was heading for Aldershot (and had originated at Preston) and was worked from Willesden by a Spamilicious Battle of Britain Class Pacific, sadly unidentified by the observer.

Mary Whitehouse.

Dear Ms Whitehouse

 

Oh!

 

Gilbert's excuse is better.

 

It is a very nice engine Steve.

[Mallard60022]

1 minute ago, Clive Mortimore said:

Dear Ms Whitehouse

 

Oh!

 

Gilbert's excuse is better.

 

It is a very nice engine Steve.

Probably, but mine is more romantic and compelling in content and thus wins the Bookeroona prize for Historic, (travel related), Fiction.  

MW.

[CUTLER2579]

48 minutes ago, 31A said:

 

Good excuse Gilbert, why didn't I think of that!  KX did have a Black 5 allocated for that purpose for a while, but not that one!

 

No Steve,

44911 from 6A Chester, allocated for over a year to 34A as well as 73071  if my memory serves me right. Both as our learned friend said for AWS testing purposes.

Regards,Derek.

 

Edited February 12, 2020 by CUTLER2579
Posted before I typed. You couldn't make it up could you.

[31A]

Since this Black Five from distant parts has stirred up some interest amongst the local train spotters, here's a better picture of her.

 

 

I inherited this Hornby Black 5 from a late friend, so it seemed somehow disrespectful to change its identity, quite apart from the fact that I couldn't be bothered to research what other number might be suitable for this particular model!  Nevertheless it's been tarted up a bit, using some of the Brassmasters detailing kit.  I didn't feel like carving off the tender axle boxes though, to replace them with the white metal ones provided, and instead I replaced the tender underframe with a Bachmann Jubilee one.  This also had the benefit of removing the spurious 'angle iron' at the bottom of the tender sides.  I also fitted Alan Gibson bogie wheels.

 

[31A]

Progress with the loco yard offices; the building is finished and painted.  The jury's still out re. how to do the chimney pots!

 

 

I've painted it to resemble weathered London yellow brick; sprayed the whole lot with Humbrol 93 Desert Yellow, then dry brushed over with a mix of Humbrol 98 Chocolate and 33 Matt Black.  Prior to this I had painted the plinth to resemble blue brick, and the arched courses over the doors and windows to represent red brick, but probably wanted my time with that!

 

Windows were made by drawing out the shapes of the sashes on paper, taping clear plastic over the drawing and painting in with cream paint; the glazing bars being done with a bow pen.  The sash windows then cut out and stuck behind the frames, which are cut out of 10 thou Plastikard and painted green.

 

 

This shows the finished windows waiting to be stuck in place, and the doors which are also from Plastikard with the panelling from 5 thou material.

 

The gutters and drainpipes have been made, with 1.5mm half round hollow section brass from Eileen's Emporium for the gutters and 1mm dia. brass rod for the downpipes.  I would usually make gutters from 40thou Plastikard with one edge rounded off and stuck on edge to the fascia boards, but on the back of this building the gutters have to pass behind the chimneys so I thought they would be very obvious.  I'm not sure t was really worth the effort, though!

 

Also shown here is the lean to porch / lobby which will go on the end of the building, over the door in the end.

 

[Mallard60022]

I think you can get a range of quite ornate chimney pots from somewhere that I can't remember at the moment....Langley maybe? I shall look.

Steve, that building is transformed. Great work.

Philth.

[Mallard60022]

      Dart castings. Like this  the stupid link won't work.

https://www.sanddmodels.co.uk/products_76.htm (cut and paste as link is f####d.

 

Steve, that building is transformed. Great work.

I found some things on Dart castings that I would like to have...…..good result.

Philth.

Edited February 21, 2020 by Mallard60022

[31A]

3 hours ago, Mallard60022 said:

      Dart castings. Like this  the stupid link won't work.

https://www.sanddmodels.co.uk/products_76.htm (cut and paste as link is f####d.

 

Steve, that building is transformed. Great work.

I found some things on Dart castings that I would like to have...…..good result.

Philth.

 

Thanks Phil, something like that would probably be quite suitable.  They want to be quite robust as the building will be right at the front of the layout so prone to being leant over etc., but the ones in that picture look as though they've got a nice strong peg on them.