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Grantham - the Streamliner years


LNER4479
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Forgive me but I was of the opinion that MK1 Crimson & Cream coaching stock was a 1950's introduction,yet next to South 9 in the photographs are coaches that I am not familar with as 1930's LNER Coaching stock. I assume one of your knowledgeable team will educate me in the errors of my ways.

Looking forward to the !2th &13th of THIS month.

 

Regards,Del.

 

I'm looking forward to seeing you again Derek.......................hopefully armed with a pre-production Tango!

 

Having never been before is parking easy enough?.................otherwise I'll dump the car somewhere and walk.

 

I should be there both days so am willing to help in any way I can before driving home to Oxford.

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I'll look forward to that Tango Mr W. Can we try a Charleston and a Waltz for comparison?

 

At the weekend, I unwittingly did my bit to maintain a balanced feel to the stock on the layout: to match the lack of appropriate coaching sets I managed to forget my case of twelve "heavy" locos, leaving the operating department somewhat short of what later became RA9 passenger locos! It provided plenty of opportunity for the Atlantics, the various K's, the 0-6-0s and that valiant D2 to earn their keep anyway....

 

A Saturday evening après-pub work session, spent inhaling rattle-can fumes and making thumbs sore pushing dress pins into a card stencil resulted in some suitable branding on the layout's front drapes, at 5 feet intervals:

 

post-3445-0-02206100-1441131499_thumb.jpg

 

I even got the totems straight and level after the pub!

 

The (for me) long-ish journey to "Grantham" also gave me an excellent excuse to call in on some five-inch gauge engineers. The excellent items running for their Bank Holiday weekend "do" included this beauty, the result of fifteen years' dedicated building effort and endowed with correct three cylinder drive plus operable steam powered booster, cut in and out by compressed air as on the real thing. Work such as this puts my OO tinkering firmly in its place.

 

post-3445-0-90712900-1441131746_thumb.jpg

 





Edited by gr.king
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I'm looking forward to seeing you again Derek.......................hopefully armed with a pre-production Tango!

 

Having never been before is parking easy enough?.................otherwise I'll dump the car somewhere and walk.

 

I should be there both days so am willing to help in any way I can before driving home to Oxford.

 

Likewise my friend, and the Tango would be fantastic.

 

Parking at the school should be reasonable as I assume they will make the playground available,but the school is in a residential area and on road parking of a sensible nature should be OK.

Anyone travelling on the A1 should leave at the A607 Harlaxton Road junction. I will get some decent directions and post them on here,like most people I use the junctions regularly and never look to see what the direction signs actually say. However from the A1,  I believe Mr Tony Wright would claim that he could have thrown a cricket ball into the

school playground. That's when he was playing cricket of course, although not as far back as 1930. :jester:  :jester: 

      

Funnily enough I have just been relating a tale to my good Lady about failing to turn up for school one Friday in about 1961 and spending a lovely day at Lords with two pals watching Middlesex  play Worcestershire. We had all agreed friends older siblings could be relied upon to write pretty acceptable letters to school explaining the terrible ailments we had suffered on that Friday. Unfortunatelyon our way home,  as we descended the escalator at St Johns Wood station we were greeted with "Good Afternoon Gentlemen" from the Up escalator.Our day suddenly took a turn for the worst as it was our French teacher who also took us for cricket. He was English and on

the Monday morning  explained too us in detail in the Queens English about the punishment that awaited us. He asked how many sixes we had seen on the Friday  as we were each about to see two more, unless we had eyes in our backsides when we would see three..

 

Regards,Derek

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Whoops! I didn't realise I was photographing a top secret feature.

 

Hmmm, as one canopy appears, another vanishes. After a quick gauging trial under the goods flyover revealed fag-paper clearances that might disappear entirely if the baseboards were to distort at all, it was obvious that the previously featured traction engine load on the Mac K wagon was in need of some reduction to fit within the proper loading gauge. The frames supporting its canopy therefore got the snip near their bases and the chimney was detached and placed in the bunker. The model can be re-erected later if necessary, I might even drill the struts in the supporting frame for the canopy and put in stubs of wire to make the canopy and supports a plug-in feature on the model.

 

post-3445-0-65514700-1441140993.jpg

 

The ever-resourceful Mr Weallans has even unearthed a prototype photo to support the placing of a traction engine, minus chimney, on just this sort of Mac wagon. If copyright considerations permit, you never know, he may post it up...

Edited by gr.king
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Ah but does he have a photo of one on the traction engine wagon? I still need to renumber mine but when JW gave me the details I noted them on a piece of paper....but where did I put that???

Baz

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Yours was the NER one, Baz, of which I think there were only two examples. Oddly, i find myself unable to remember the numbers off the top of my head. One may have a '7' in it. Does that help?

 

I think I can get away with the picture as it's a very small area of a much larger shot. If that's considered to breach copyright then Moderators, please remove the link. When I get home I'll put a proper credit in - it's from one of the South Anglia collections but I can't remember the photographer's name.

 

Traction_engine_on_lowmac_zpsnivyzzcf.jp

 

As far as I can see the front axle is roped/chained to a lashing ring and the rear axle has some sort of clamp chocking it?

 

Edit - photo by J A C Kirke published in Aspects of East Anglian Steam Volume 3, On the Great Eastern 1950-1962, compiled J D Mann. No page numbers but it's two pages in from the back.

Edited by jwealleans
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Does the A 607 Junction still apply for coming south on the A1?  Alternatively, is there a good way from Newark to avoid any A1 hold ups* as often happen on Sundays?  (* Not the stand and deliver type thanks.......)

Thanks.

Phil

Edited by Mallard60022
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JW thanks I will look for it on my return to the UK after topping up my vtamin D.

It looks like a big chain and a wooden wedge holding it in place.

Baz

There should be timber scotches fore & aft of the main wheels and packing using 10"x5' timber each side of the steering wheels at the front.  The machine should then be secured using binding chains - front wheels to that end of the rail vehicle and to the securing point towards the end of the wagon well furthest from them, rear wheels to the securing point towards the end of the wagon well furthest from them and from the other side of the wheel to that end of the vehicle, flywheel to be secured by roping.

 

These are the GWR Instruction but as it was valid for interchange traffic I would presume it to be the RCH standard method.  the Instruction regarding the securing of fly wheels was added in December 1937.

 

The Instructions in force earlier (RCH Minute No.1860) provided for the securing of the wheels by ropes or straps and make no mention of scotching the main wheels or of timber packing of the steering wheels I assume things changed in the early 1930s but alas can't date the changes.

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Does the A 607 Junction still apply for coming south on the A1?  Alternatively, is there a good way from Newark to avoid any A1 hold ups* as often happen on Sundays?  (* Not the stand and deliver type thanks.......)

Thanks.

Phil

I believe that to be correct, Phil (although I'm not a 'local' and will be trying it for the first time myself next Friday!) The show 'flyer' mentions the A607 Melton road.

 

Plenty of trains from Newark to Grantham (now there's a novel idea!) - yes, on a Sunday (look to be hourly, roughly on the hour). I'm sure someone could scoop you up from the station and I could always drop you off at Newark on the way back. It's over to the locals re any road options otherwise.

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Thanks matey. I would travel from Retford and the choice is 12.18 (arrive 12. 38). I could drive to Newark I suppose; much better service. However driving gives me more flexiblity and I don't waste the fare if I'm not up to travelling. Thanks for the offer of lift! 

Phil

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Some years there has been a vintage bus to and from the station.  Perhaps it might be an idea to check the show website.

 

See you at the weekend- not sure whether it is Saturday Grantham Sunday Leamington or the other way round yet...

 

Les

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Does the A 607 Junction still apply for coming south on the A1?  Alternatively, is there a good way from Newark to avoid any A1 hold ups* as often happen on Sundays?  (* Not the stand and deliver type thanks.......)

Thanks.

Phil

Mallard,

 

As the local Network Rail go anywhere MOM, there are 7 combinations of travelling between Newark and Grantham. Most relate to following the ECML as much as possible.

In your situation, Sunday morning should be OK on the A1 southbound.

Looking forward to seeing you

 

Paul 4475

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Thanks folks. I'm really looking forward to being fit enough for a change to come and spend some quality time at a show.

May I just remind folk that the Sunday will be exactly 12 months since my friend Geoff (Comet Models) died and hope they will spend a few moments thinking of him and those he left. 

Sincerely, 

Phil @ 36E

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Some years there has been a vintage bus to and from the station.  Perhaps it might be an idea to check the show website.

 

See you at the weekend- not sure whether it is Saturday Grantham Sunday Leamington or the other way round yet...

 

Les

Thanks Les,

 

Last year it was Saturday only and I think that's the same this year. But, as you say, best to check!

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The big day draws nigh and to my relief work on 3 locos, 5 ironstone empties, 2 more loaded coal wagons, repainted cylinders (scuffed in transit) on 2 K2s, and coupling conversions on 2 bulk grain wagons appears to be nearing completion in time for me to still have a chance to clean wheels, refit missing couplings, attend to pick-ups and ensure adequate lubrication on the rest of my stock!

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The big day draws nigh and to my relief work on 3 locos, 5 ironstone empties, 2 more loaded coal wagons, repainted cylinders (scuffed in transit) on 2 K2s, and coupling conversions on 2 bulk grain wagons appears to be nearing completion in time for me to still have a chance to clean wheels, refit missing couplings, attend to pick-ups and ensure adequate lubrication on the rest of my stock!

 

So there's no pressure then !!

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