Railway Motors

[LongRail]

here is a pic of a freight rover 200 series pick up, not sure where the pic came from, but defo not mine, so all credit to whomever took it!

 

Andy,

 

Very atmoheric pictures which gives me a few ideas

[Merfyn Jones]

A couple of new versions of existing Oxford models. Just received.

 

The Land Rover Series I, 107" in crimson represents one of a batch bought for the Scottish Region in 1956, this had previously released in the 1963 green livery.

 

 

 

The Morris J van in 1966 green livery, represents one bought by the Western Region in 1956/7 and based at Exeter.  Did any other region have any of these ?

 

 

Alongside ones I made earlier.

Merf.

 

 

[LongRail]

Just received confirmation from Invicta models they have posted my pre-order for the  BR Training vehicles Bus (post number #1700 http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/920-railway-motors/?p=1917378 )

[PhilJ W]

Just received confirmation from Invicta models they have posted my pre-order for the  BR Training vehicles Bus (post number #1700 http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/920-railway-motors/?p=1917378 )

Hopefully mine is coming soon then.

[Merfyn Jones]

Is it as blue as the photographs of the model show it ?

Merf.

[LongRail]

It hasn't arrived yet should be today or tomorrow.

I am expecting it to be blue to be honest although it would have been nice if they had corrected the error

[LongRail]

Postman has called and delivered a parcel

it is blue but darker than the previous photos show.

I have photographed it next to my NSE bridge inspection bus as a comparison with the NSE colours.

 

 

[Nearholmer]

Just dipped into this thread in passing, and it reminded me of something that made me laugh a lot when I was a young trainee railway engineer.

 

I was working in the office next door to that of "Road Motors", which was presided over by a very small (c5ft) Yorkshireman with an exceedingly loud voice.

 

One day we could hear him taking down details of a damage to one of his vehicles, as they were read to him over the 'phone.

 

Final question: "Name of Driver?"

 

Deep groan as he repeats name, which he has obviously heard many times before.

 

Then, very loud indeed:

 

"Next time that man wants transpoort, give 'im a fooking bike!!"

 

K

[chrissixties]

Really pleased to see that Oxford are going to produce a Shelvoke & Drewry Freightlifter but in its first issue I notice it is in Western Region chocolate and cream

I just wondered, how widespread would this livery have been for this vehicle and for what period?

And might it have appeared in this livery in any of the Western Region goods depots in London?

 

http://www.oxforddiecast.co.uk/eras/1_76_1950_Co_Future.htm

[Fat Controller]

Really pleased to see that Oxford are going to produce a Shelvoke & Drewry Freightlifter but in its first issue I notice it is in Western Region chocolate and cream

I just wondered, how widespread would this livery have been for this vehicle and for what period?

And might it have appeared in this livery in any of the Western Region goods depots in London?

 

http://www.oxforddiecast.co.uk/eras/1_76_1950_Co_Future.htm

By the time I remember noticing them (mainly the one at Hafod Full-Loads depot, Swansea), they were in maroon and cream. Odd that they were previously in chocolate and cream, given the cartage fleet was in crimson and cream, then maroon and cream. If this was the livery they carried when new, then London Division would have had some so painted, probably at the bigger depots like South Lambeth. Here's a link to a shot of one (apparently in the Cardiff area), alongside a Scarab with an unusual trailer:- http://www.mycaravan.org.uk/images/General/scan0005.jpg

Freightlifters without the seperate driving cab were used by the military, notably the RAF, and in industry. Apparently, there are still several still in operation at various locations around Sheffield, some forty or more years since they were built.

[Merfyn Jones]

Of the pictures I have collected, most are black and white. I have one colour shot of one in chocolate and cream at South Lambeth. I believe that those branded Western Region were the choc/cream ones. A LMR one is what appears all over crimson along with some non branded on the Western, but the WR ones are single cabs. No pictures have been found of any crimson ones with cream tops. A couple of Southern Region branded ones were probably crimson also.

Are there any pictures of crimson / cream ones out there ?

The dual cab ones appear to date from 1959, the single cabs a few years earlier. Some were still around in the 70s in yellow.

[chrissixties]

Of the pictures I have collected, most are black and white. I have one colour shot of one in chocolate and cream at South Lambeth. I believe that those branded Western Region were the choc/cream ones. A LMR one is what appears all over crimson along with some non branded on the Western, but the WR ones are single cabs. No pictures have been found of any crimson ones with cream tops. A couple of Southern Region branded ones were probably crimson also.

Are there any pictures of crimson / cream ones out there ?

The dual cab ones appear to date from 1959, the single cabs a few years earlier. Some were still around in the 70s in yellow.

I have seen this photo of South Lambeth from the cover of British Railway Wagons and always presumed the Freightlifter was maroon and cream but perhaps this one is brown and cream? hard to tell

http://www.amazon.co.uk/British-Railway-Wagons-Their-Loading/dp/B00PH7FT4S

[Merfyn Jones]

When blown up it is certainly brown compared to the Bedford OSS and Scarab alongside in crimson. Transport Age produced a painting of one in choc/cream too.

 

 

copyright  British Transport Commission

[The Stationmaster]

By the time I remember noticing them (mainly the one at Hafod Full-Loads depot, Swansea), they were in maroon and cream. Odd that they were previously in chocolate and cream, given the cartage fleet was in crimson and cream, then maroon and cream. If this was the livery they carried when new, then London Division would have had some so painted, probably at the bigger depots like South Lambeth. Here's a link to a shot of one (apparently in the Cardiff area), alongside a Scarab with an unusual trailer:- http://www.mycaravan.org.uk/images/General/scan0005.jpg

Freightlifters without the seperate driving cab were used by the military, notably the RAF, and in industry. Apparently, there are still several still in operation at various locations around Sheffield, some forty or more years since they were built.

I can remember them in chocolate & cream but in no other colours although I've no doubt that some were.  South Lambeth definitely had one and I think Park Royal did too and there was one allocated as Divisional float/spare c.1967 which worked in various places as needed.  I've an idea one also worked at Slough at one time and probably Oxford South Yard although according to the November 1966 Crane Diagram Book there were just over 50 of them which suggest they were far more widespread.   I presume that was the WR allocation as the fleet numbers didn't run consecutively but it is difficult to be firm on that as WR road crane numbers didn't consecutively for any particular type of crane although they do appear to have been numbered in blocks.  Incidentally the Diagram Book illustrates the twin cab version and only gives one set of figures for virtually all the lifts.

 

The model will be interesting as they were relatively compact machines - only 14ft 6"long over the body plus any special jib attachment and just over 20ft high to the top of the lifting frame.  Presumably - judging by the illustration - the model will only come with a single set of forks  and without either a box jib attachment or a container attachment?

[PhilJ W]

The 'Dual Drive' Freightlifter appears to have been exclusively a British Railways Western Region version. This came about because magistrates in Slough prosecuted British Railways for allowing a vehicle to be driven on the road with the drivers vision obscured by a 'Jungle of steel' in 1956/57. They came with several lifting attachments one for British Railways was for lifting railway containers, others were developed for moving rolls of paper and steel. They were originally developed at the behest of the London Brick Company for moving palletised bricks, including loading railway wagons.

[PhilJ W]

Mike (Stationmaster) posted as I was writing mine. I have obtained the information from 'Kaleidoscope of Shevloke and Drewry' published by Warne. It states that the biggest user was the London Brick Company with approximately 170 units but British Railways had over 70 at one time. As I said above the 'Dual Drive' was not very common so I assume the next ones will be of the single cab type.

[darrel]

A quick scotrail one for you

[Adam]

I can remember them in chocolate & cream but in no other colours although I've no doubt that some were.  South Lambeth definitely had one and I think Park Royal did too and there was one allocated as Divisional float/spare c.1967 which worked in various places as needed.  I've an idea one also worked at Slough at one time and probably Oxford South Yard although according to the November 1966 Crane Diagram Book there were just over 50 of them which suggest they were far more widespread.   I presume that was the WR allocation as the fleet numbers didn't run consecutively but it is difficult to be firm on that as WR road crane numbers didn't consecutively for any particular type of crane although they do appear to have been numbered in blocks.  Incidentally the Diagram Book illustrates the twin cab version and only gives one set of figures for virtually all the lifts.

 

One, certainly, found itself at Yeovil Pen Mill; it appears in the back ground of a couple of Paul Bartlett shots albeit, in the case of the only one that comes readily to hand, very, very briefly:

 

http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/bropenmerchandiseowvcorrugated/h4eae184#h4eae184

 

EDIT: in fact, it can just be made out here, as well:

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/elmtreephotos/8386558387/

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/justinfoulger/5411640746/

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/invader1009/14664462249/in/album-72157646709291985/

 

Dad, I know, has a selection of record shots of Pen Mill on slides, I wonder whether this machine appears in those...

 

Adam

Edited October 15, 2015 by Adam

[PhilJ W]

Postman has called and delivered a parcel

it is blue but darker than the previous photos show.

I have photographed it next to my NSE bridge inspection bus as a comparison with the NSE colours.

 

Bus 1.jpg

bus 2.jpg

Bus 3.jpg

bus 4.jpg

I received an e-mail yesterday informing me that mine was on its way, hopefully it will arrive tomorrow.

[warringtonbankquay]

I found this excellent picture of a dual cab WR Freightlifter lurking in the Birds Eye containers on Paul Bartlett's site :

 

http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/conflatbafp/h2831fe#h2831fe

 

Chris

[Keith George]

Really pleased to see that Oxford are going to produce a Shelvoke & Drewry Freightlifter but in its first issue I notice it is in Western Region chocolate and cream

I just wondered, how widespread would this livery have been for this vehicle and for what period?

And might it have appeared in this livery in any of the Western Region goods depots in London?

 

http://www.oxforddiecast.co.uk/eras/1_76_1950_Co_Future.htm

 

There was certainly one in use in Bristol 1959/60/61/62 in chocolate and cream.

It was used for the lifting of containers when the gantry was under repair or having a service.

I worked in the cartage dept. in Bristol during those years.

It was also called out once when a Thornycroft Nippy with a BD container on a drop frame trailer could not manage a steep incline into a small industrial site at Keynsham.

The unit and trailer were blocking this incline so the Freightlifter  was sent out to give a mighty shove to the rear of the trailer.

 

Keith.

[hmrspaul]

One, certainly, found itself at Yeovil Pen Mill; it appears in the back ground of a couple of Paul Bartlett shots albeit, in the case of the only one that comes readily to hand, very, very briefly:

 

http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/bropenmerchandiseowvcorrugated/h4eae184#h4eae184

Adam

 A bit more to be seen in background of http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brvanplywoodvvv/e2276b2e5 The lifter was in full use when I was in the yard in 1976 and I have always regretted not photographing it - almost certainly the last time I saw a RCH container in traffic use but I always avoided taking photos of members of staff at work.

 

Paul

[Merfyn Jones]

When my training bus from EFE arrived I could not live with the blue colour, so out with the paint brush and Railmatch Railfreight grey. I'm otherwise very pleased with the way they did it. I had intended to remove the top deck seats but they seemed to be almost hidden by the blank windows , so I left them in.

 

 

 

Recent issue from Oxford of the Ford 400E van looks good, although the registration and fleet numbers are educated guesses for a NER van of the period as no photos have come to light showing numbers. Alongside the old Triang van from years ago that I did earlier.

 

 

 

The Shapeways Maestro van, was my first experience of a 3D printed 'kit'.  Very pleased with the result. Came from Hollland in Euros so not sure how much it was really but not cheap.

 

[Lyddrail]

Merf,

The training bus looks much better. I was about to do the same but not got round to it yet. Did you save the writing?

I was thinking of doing the "Plant" version, but that would need new lettering.

The Maestro looks good too, another job for me is to do 2 of these.

Cheers.

[Merfyn Jones]

The lettering was gone round on the bus with a fine brush and pen. Not too bad a job because of the size of it.

If doing the other bus, which I thought about. Maybe a transfer produced on white transfer paper using a grey background. The rail alphabet is available to download from the web. I think a link can be found on here somewhere provided by Andy York.