Trainspotting at Little Benton Sidings, Newcastle.

[John Tomlinson]

On 08/03/2024 at 21:15, rowanj said:

Hi John, Oxford Rail have only produced the one variety as far as I know, though there were certainly plans for others, as well as a J26. I believe demonstration models of the J26 were at Warley, with a scheduled release Q4 2024, How the merger with Hornby has affected things, i couldnt say,

I modified a NuCast kit to represent one of the locos you mention- superheater removed, but extended smokebox left on, and continuous handrails around the boiler/smokebos/smokebox front. It makes a nice visual change. The same thing happened to  some J21's which lost their superheater,

The j27 must be among the best value for money among recent RTR releases, and hopefuully another batch will arrive soner rather than later.

John

 

I noticed this recent post on the Rails of Sheffield website, which sounds as if Oxford Rail isn't down and out just yet.

 

https://railsofsheffield.com/blogs/news/🚂-oxford-rail-announce-additional-lner-j2

 

John.

[rowanj]

3 hours ago, John Tomlinson said:

 

I noticed this recent post on the Rails of Sheffield website, which sounds as if Oxford Rail isn't down and out just yet.

 

https://railsofsheffield.com/blogs/news/🚂-oxford-rail-announce-additional-lner-j2

 

John.

I'm a bit out of touch with the Oxford Rail - Hornby relationship, though evidently there is an Oxford Rail programme still developing models. Jolly good thing, too.

The J26 was on display at Warley, and it seems to be a nice model. I don't know what has been done to produce it, but the only thing I can spot are the round spectacle plates. The rest just looks like a J27, but so did the real thing. There were no balance weights on the wheels of the J26. I wonder if any other mods were more to do with putting right issues with the original J27 run?

I'll almost certainly get one, though they were never seen on Tyneside, at least in BR days. ( unless someone knows differently).  But as I have a few Teesside locos which seem to get to Little Benton with alarming regularity,and as I  want to support the manufacturer, a stray one is likely to appear before the year is out.

 

Edited March 18 by rowanj

[rowanj]

I know there was a very-early morning Parcels from Waverley to Central. which also included a couple of of passenger coaches. I'm unsure about a simiilar Down train, but let's assume there was one, and that B1 61273 has been given the task. Quite why a York loco would be on the train is a mystery, It is in pretty poor condition, so will be heading into works as soon as possible, Hopefully, only a spot of oil will be needed, but you never know with these Bachmann split chassis,

 

[rowanj]

The LRM J25 has been in the woorks, as its' tender was "on loan" to a J24 under-construction. Now back in service, it heads back to Newcastle, on returning train from the Bellingham Agricultural Show. This was the last of the season ,held (as it still is) iat the end of August. I have horrid memories of a Saturday there trying to collect the set of those cans of lager with different pictures of scantilly - clad girls on the side. 46256 might recognise his "downside-gift" of the artic, The BSO at the back is resided GBL.

 

Heading North, this is the J27 which kept its' long smokebox to withdrawal after losing its' superheater. I think this was a NU-Cast kit.

Edited March 31 by rowanj

[60027Merlin]

Ah John, the Tennents Lager Lovelies were very popular back in the mid 60s until 1991. You should have kept some cans in storage as many are collectable fetching decent prices!

 

Eric

 

[rowanj]

 

J77 68392 is held at the s0uth exit with a pair of wagons , probably headed for Heaton Yard, The wait shouldn;t be too long, as an -Up express is sailing by at about 60mph before slowing downfor the approach to Central.

 

The train turns out to be an Edinburgh- Kings Cross, with Gateshead's 60005 in charge, Although it was always a double-chimney A4, it doesn;t seem to have been a particular favourire at 52A, simply taking it's turn with the other A4's on the roster. After the A1's arrived, these were the preferred motive power as decreed by the local Loco Superintendent.

[rowanj]

Though my modelling preferences tend towards Steam, I actually was lucky enough to do most of my spotting from 1060-64, so caught the transition to Diesel, and very interesting it was too, The down side is that I missed a handful of classes it would have been nice to see- D20 and G5 amongst them, as well as other classes A5, A8 which lost their work to what became Class 101 DMU;s,

 

I do have a few (too many?) diesels which get out from time to time, I saw all the Deltics, so D9004 on an UP express would have been a regular sight for us at Liitle Benton. The Class 24 on minerals was rather less common, as J27 and Q6;s stiil had all that suff, supplemented later, astonishing us at the time, by K1's and Ivatt 4MT's at North Blyth. The 24's were more often on mixed goods, often with a brake tender, replacing K3's, B1's and V2's as far as we could tell.

 

Thornaby got a few Class 27's without steam boilers, and were well pleased with them according to local accounts,- less so when they were all sent to Scotland, I saw the odd one on trips to Thornaby which was an easy shed to bunk, Often a young member of staff would take us round when he heard we had come from such far-flung corners as Newcastle, 

I wen to London t every Easter school holiday for a good few years, starting in 1959, accompanied by my Gran, Mother and younger brothe, This was a great adventure for a train spotter, I always hoped to be pulled by steam, but it was always a Class 40 in both directions, - the last visit was 1964  when my expectations of a Deltic or Class 47 were dashed, In the last few years I was allowed to go alone from Thames Ditton to Waterloo and wander round the London Stations, I remember being disappointed with Marylebone, and feeling very uncomfortable in an empty Broad Street- it must have been a Sunday. Letting a 12 or 13 yo do that nowadays would be inconceivable - it certainly wasnt allowed for my kids/ Anyway, my last Class 40 trip was from Chathill to Newcastle on a stopper from either Berwick or Waverley, when we were put into a slow line and held at signals while an express thundered past.I think it was the Up Talisman, but my memory may be playing tricks, The Class 40 has been put into Little Benton Sidings to allow an express to pass as a sort of homage to that trip with my mother.