Great West Road - transfers & I’m not talking football!

[southern42]

cHRISTMAS 2014 8a.jpg

 

Ray & Polly,

Have a Happy Christmas and a good New Year.  Look forward to following both your threads next year.

 

Thanks Chris.

 

What fantastic figures perfect people!  Would they like to come and perform the GWRd musical: "Track. What track?" aka "The Railway Kidz" starring GNR Stirling Single 4-2-2 alongside the branch platform.  One day only....

 

Have a good Christmas.

[ChrisN]

Thanks Chris.

 

What fantastic figures perfect people!  Would they like to come and perform the GWRd musical: "Track. What track?" aka "The Railway Kidz" starring GNR Stirling Single 4-2-2 alongside the branch platform.  One day only....

 

Have a good Christmas.

 

Polly,

The trick with the people is to take them at l..o..n...g distance.  Most need varnishing, some need starting and a lot need finishing.  The best ones of course are the ones that were too shy for the camera. 

 

I look forward to your Morris Men.  I am sure once GWR'd gets built it will be full of character, little ones of course, but I am sure it will ooze atmosphere.

[southern42]

Happy Boxing Day, GWRoaders.

Hope Santa brought you some exciting tender stocking fillers.

 

Talking of tenders, Bittern had an unexpected surprise when it's water tender turned up in bits several wrapped presies.

 

Help now wanted.  The workshop crew would be really happy to receive any body work conversion links, instructions, info, tips, detailing parts that you may know of to bring it up to this:

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/gallery/image/36759-lner-a4-4464-bittern/

 

or this:

 

000a. 08780 Southall Depot. 13-Sept-13 by paulfuller128, on Flickr

[southern42]

I've been following up emailed links to railway things and ended up at a very nice pic of the latest Hornby offering of the Duchess of Sutherland with support coach.

Tempting.  Very tempting.    

 

But hang on a minute, in 2011 the Duchess was in the West Shed at the Midland Railway having an overhaul: http://www.prclt.co.uk/New_6233_Overhaul.htm  I know - we saw it there during the model railway exhibition.

 

So, no appearance at GWRd but it does leave room for something else, maybe. 

 

And another email arrives in my in box: "Hornby train sets....."

Time for bed methinks!

 

G'nite all.

 

Edit to clarify state of play.

Edited December 27, 2014 by southern42

[southern42]

Love this.  Brings back memories of our Bittern tour.

 

 

Hmmm.  Spring 2014.   Oooohhh.   I could have this to run with with SRM No. 93 then nick the support coach for my 2011 stock.    But don't tell anyone. 

Edited December 27, 2014 by southern42

[southern42]

Change over day yesterday.  Swapped one sibling for another.  One arrived shortly before the other had to get off to catch his train back home - avoiding Finsbury Park.

 

Can't take my eyes off my latest Christmas present - GWR Goods Wagons.  :no:

 

Kids.  Don't you just love 'em?  :yes:

[Jaz]

May 2013.....thought you might like these Kal took them on his way to work

3861flyingscot1

 

3860flyingscot2

[southern42]

Jaz and Kal, thanks ever so for the photos.  I didn't get one of Flying Scotsman on its own.  It just happened to provide an excellent backdrop to Bittern.  I'm not usually that lucky!  Dirty old walls, OHLE's obscuring the way, wires overhead, 1000s 100s lots of people milling around, you know the thing. 

 

This must be my favourite pic (at Southall 1965) of the earlier FS in (preserved) LNER green - I wonder if they got the colour best-matched back then.*** 

1965 - Drain-Cocks open.. by Robert Gadsdon, on Flickr

 

*** If you're not familiar with Jaz's thread, see the discussion on livery paint which began here>>> #8506. Quite informative.  I think so, anyway.

 

And I wonder if this will come down to GWRd Locomotive Services for maintenance 50 years on.

Class 153, Christmas present from son-in-East-Anglia to Mum & Dad.  

 

[southern42]

[Andrew P]

All the best to you and Ray for 2015 and beyond,

 

see you both at Stafford with your

WONDERFUL

 

Camel Quay.

[southern42]

Thanks, Andy and Happy New Year to you and Dee.

Looking forward to seeing you at Stafford.

I've been given a warning that CQ will be restored to full size shortly.  Hopefully, (and I say this every time) I'll get to run some GWRd stock on it   :senile:   though the Stationmaster may have something to say about that, if you can tear him away from the dining table his workbench. 

 

In the meantime, I'm getting over a baking eating session - all-butter shortbread and mincepies.  
 

Edited December 31, 2014 by southern42

[Jock67B]

Evening Polly and Ray,

Meant to tell you before that I made a fridge magnet for great grandson Freddie using one of 'the big red engine' pictures you kindly sent me. He often looks up at the large Duchess print above my study desk and says that 'Grandad Jock' (my dad) used to drive that engine! He was totally delighted with it and it takes pride of place on his parent's fridge!

Thanks again and I hope 2015 brings you all you deserve.

Happy New Year from Jock and Joanna.

PS Good luck at Stafford!

Edited December 31, 2014 by Jock67B

[southern42]

Thanks Jock for your kind words.

Delighted Freddie likes his little "big red engine".  I think he'll be hooked for life with Grandad on the trains.  Worked for me!

I remember our kids covering our fridge door with fridge magnets - then took them away with them when they left home.  Be warned! 

 

After the to-ing and fro-ing of Duchess photos, I had the idea of getting our Duchess set out for Christmas on a "snowy" backdrop but I didn't think of it early enough so I'll have to give it a go next year. You'll just have to imagine it, I'm afraid. 

[Jaz]

HAPPY NEW YEAR

[darren01]

Chasing trains, next installment. 

 

On the Mid Hants Railway which turned into quite a What next? sort of week.

 

Thinking of GWRd, of course, it was a chance to get the feel of the real thing.

After the delights of Southen locos Lord Nelson and Cheltenham at Alton, we spotted the yard at Ropley.

IMG_1786 70000 Britannia Ropley.JPG

Britannia sporting an ungamely 4-4-2 arrangement while the removed wheelset receives attention. 

 

IMG_1790 34007 Wadebridge + 70000 Britannia Ropley.JPG

Wadebridge made a suitable substitute for Tangmere although we had a much appreciated invitation into the cab of the rebuilt Sir Keith Park when we stopped off for lunch at the Severn Valley Railway on the way down. 

 

IMG_1802 70000 Britannia + 34051 Sir Winston Churchill.JPG

Behind Britannia is 34051 Sir Winston Churchill escapee from the NRM for a cosmetic makeover.

 

IMG_2060 9F 92212 Ropley.JPG

Now I must try and get to the Bluebell to see the lifesize version of my 92240.

 

And it got better.  Tangmere being out of action, Southall-user 44932 turned up on the Swanage Belle.

IMG_2332 44032 + view of Swanage shed and turntable.JPG

 

IMG_2341 44932 coal stage Swanage.JPG

 

And on the turntable a very nice GWR 5164

IMG_1891 5164 on turntable Swanage.JPG

 

And still more.  On leaving Alresford Station the day before, we came across a tender in the forecourt.  Our journey back to the farm where we were staying was somewhat delayed while we took photos, tried to find out when the other half was to be delivered, and watched the cab and trailer while it was prepared to depart.

IMG_2244 tender deliverd 18 June 2014 taken 1713.JPG

 

IMG_2254 low loader + loco tender Alresford 18 June 2014.JPG

 

We had to wait until Friday morning to see if the engine had arrived and we were delighted to see it on the forecourt, the lorry drivers getting their vehicle ready to leave.

 

IMG_2398 45379 delivered 20 June 2014 taken 1041.JPG

 

IMG_2436 45379 reunited with its tender + 08377 Alresford 20 June 2014.JPG

Engine reunited with its tender, shunted into place by 08377.

 

IMG_2461 45379 + 31806 Alresford 20 June 2014.JPG

A pairing which I was pleased to capture since, as we found out later, 31806 is now at Swanage.

http://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/news/detail/swanage-railway-strenghtens-its-fleet-with-three-classic-1920s-southern-steam-locomotives

 

Another departee from the Mid Hants is 34016 Bodmin

IMG_1966 34016 Bodmin.JPG

 

to Southall.

http://daverydingphotography.zenfolio.com/34016_bodmin_25_06_14/h11934628#h11934628

 

If you have any info to add, please do so.

 

Polly

 

Edit to delete line returns to close the gap at the bottom of the post.

Hi 

I would like to know how Bodmin got into such a state, look's like it been sitting in Barry for a few years, i can not believe from the other photo that it is the same loco.

To let this loco to fall into this state is shocking!

Darren

[southern42]

Morning Darren,

 

I don't know how long Bodmin had been left unattended though I have seen locomotives in runnjng order looking pretty sorry for themselves on a siding at the end of a season.  It doesn't take long for deterioration to take place, does it?

 

And Bodmin was at Ropley for several years before moving to Carnforth this (oops!) last year.  Is it just in storage or is it undergoing some sort of overhaul?  It still looked really good in 2008 as in this video picked at random

 

 

From what I've picked up, Bodmin was just held in storage on the Mid Hants in recent years and I haven't found out what the future holds for it, either.

 

Over to any of you.

 

 

Edit typo

Edited January 2, 2015 by southern42

[Andrew P]

Hi Pol, I hope she comes back in service one day, It was the very first preserved Steam Locomotive I rode behind, and may have been only one of a handful of locomotives before that, that I ever rode behind, as I didn't do railways when I was young, and my trips from Addlestone in Surrey to Heathrow Plane Spotting were all done in Electric units.

 

The Great Central should have Braunstone ready for action end of this year / early 2016.

 

All the best.

[southern42]

It seems 2015 is going to be a busy year for the overhaulers.

 

Bittern goes off shortly and Sir Nigel Gresley in the summer to name just two more.

[southern42]

Just used an Amazon voucher I received for Christmas on a wagon from my wishlist.

Ended up buying the other wagons on the list, too.

So,hopefully, I'll be able to build up the Brentford 1961 goods by the end of the year.  Some of them are kits hence the optimistic time scale.

When they arrive, I'll line up the RTR ones and see how it goes.

 

As regards the crocodile.  Should I be getting a GWR version or the currently available BR departmental wagon?  The one in the photo seems to be devoid of any lettering (to my eyes, anyway).  Whichever one, it will receive a make over.

As we're on yet another page, I've added the link again.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Southall%2C_Ealing_geograph-2575873-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg

[Andrew P]

Just used an Amazon voucher I received for Christmas on a wagon from my wishlist.

Ended up buying the other wagons on the list, too.

So,hopefully, I'll be able to build up the Brentford 1961 goods by the end of the year.  Some of them are kits hence the optimistic time scale.

When they arrive, I'll line up the RTR ones and see how it goes.

 

As regards the crocodile.  Should I be getting a GWR version or the currently available BR departmental wagon?  The one in the photo seems to be devoid of any lettering (to my eyes, anyway).  Whichever one, it will receive a make over.

As we're on yet another page, I've added the link again.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Southall%2C_Ealing_geograph-2575873-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg

Good purchase Polly, I used my Amazon Voucher for a Vax Hand Vac for when I start Ballasting etc. still had to put cash with it though.

[southern42]

Thanks, Andy.

The wagons should be here by next week.

 

 

Still working on a track plan going round a corner without compressing the shed too much.

I'm also redesigning it to take the diesel track behind the water tower where the coal ramp would have been pre-1953.

I think it'll lend itself to a corner layout better than the ramp but the site of a previous ramp will still need to be plausible.

Not asking much. 

[southern42]

The postman has now delivered all but one item of identified pieces of rolling stock.

 

So, the line up (so far) behind No. 9761 is looking like this:

 

3 x Bachmann BR mineral wagons

1 x Bachmann coke wagon

1 x Bachmann bogie well wagon (not yet arrived)

1 x high bar (Parkside Dundas kit)

1 x 7 plank coal wagon (Parkside Dundas kit)

 

Total 7

 

Guess I'll need 1 x Toad to complete.

 

Update when we pick up another parcel from the depot.

[southern42]

Some of the coal wagons were destined for Brentford Goods station where Charringtons had a coal drop as seen in a photo on the NRM website (8 July 1955) .

© National Railway Museum and SSPL (click on image to go to NRM webpage)

 

 

Other views of Charringtons

http://chrishodgetrucks.co.uk/pixcma/abf237.jpg

http://chrishodgetrucks.co.uk/pixcma/abf236.jpg

From archived photos @ http://chrishodgetrucks.co.uk/gallery/Truck-Archive/LatestGalleries#archive

 

The first and last pics of the coal drops show the embankment which runs parallel to the road, Transport Avenue.

The coal drops and embankment are shown on the 1935 and 1961 OS map on Disused Stations Brentford Town (Goods) opposite the cricket ground:

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/b/brentford/index50.shtml

Edited January 12, 2015 by southern42

[Andrew P]

How about some wagon pics Polly?

[southern42]

How about some wagon pics Polly?

 

Just waiting for the well wagon to arrive, Andy.

That's a long piece of kit so wouldn't want to deprive anyone of a full length train. 

Brentford 40 wagons or 50-60 double headed - as long as there's a 20ton brake van on the end.

GWRd - working on it.  .

Edited January 12, 2015 by southern42