Wright writes.....

[FarrMan]

1 minute ago, LNER4479 said:

At least I didn't say: 'I'm sat on a whole assortment of LMS coach kits ...'

Its so much easier in Hebrew - they only have two tenses, past and future! They also have a word pronounced 'he' that means 'she', though.

 

Lloyd

[Iain.d]

13 hours ago, Chas Levin said:

May I ask what type of bulbs you have in the downlights you mention?

Sorry, I don’t really have any idea - they were fitted in the ceiling when we bought the house!!

 

That said, they’re 10w LED with each unit about 100mm/4in across, having about eight individual LEDs, the ‘glass’ is a hard opaque plastic, which probably softens/diffuses the light; they’re produce a very ‘white’ light.

 

Kind regards,

 

Iain

[Tony Wright]

3 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

I am, of course, as a Midland enthusiast, someone who has been very deeply influenced by the writings of Essery and Jenkinson, even if, as I delve deeper into the subject, I become aware, sometimes, of their occasional limitations. Essery was someone who, unlike, some railway history researchers, understood the importance of publishing what he knew despite being well aware that his knowledge was incomplete.

Good afternoon Stephen,

 

I count it a privilege to have been one of Bob Essery's many friends, and to have worked with and for David Jenkinson. I think it's fair to say that both were giants in the hobby; a hobby which should be very grateful to them. Grateful for what they achieved, both in prototype research and in model-making. Both were also very aware of their lack of knowledge in certain areas - I once had to contradict 'Jenks' when he stated that no A4 without a corridor tender ever hauled the 'Coronation'. In fact, a non-corridor tender was preferred, it being lighter, and the crews changed at Newcastle, anyway. His response was that his area of expertise was with regard to the LMS, not the LNER.  

 

Bob was a prolific author (it was an even greater privilege to work with him on a few publications), but I also had to point out that his grammar was not always spot-on. Take his work (which is wonderful, by the way) The Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway and its Locomotives; and, I quote 'Therefore text written by David and I or David and Alan...........'. And, 'During the period between David Jenkinson and I setting aside our work.......'.  Tut tut! 

 

That's why I (not me) always request that any grammatical blooper I'm responsible for should be pointed out........... 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Tony Wright]

1 hour ago, LNER4479 said:

Morning Tony.

 

I'm sitting on a whole assortment of LMS coach kits at the moment if that's of any interest?

Afternoon Graham,

 

Please bring some along when you visit later this month.............

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Tony Wright]

2 hours ago, Scrapman said:

Tony

Slight mistake in my previous post. Everything you sell on other people's behalf  CRUK get a percentage of. The main bulk of the monies raised normally  goes of course to the deceased modellers estate or in the case of Brian Lees collection to the man himself.

 

Sorry. Stupid mistake. Normal state of affairs according to her indoors.

 

Ray

Thanks Ray,

 

Just one point, if I may?

 

The monies raised from Brian Lee's collection will go to his wife and family. Though Brian is (thankfully) still with us, such is the level of his dementia that I don't think he has much idea of what's going on. Happily (if I may use such a word in this context?) he has a couple of his favourite locos displayed on a piece of track in his room at the care home he's residing in. I think he knows what they are, or, at least, I hope he does (maybe, for some of the time). 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Bucoops]

1 hour ago, Tony Wright said:

Thanks Ray,

 

Just one point, if I may?

 

The monies raised from Brian Lee's collection will go to his wife and family. Though Brian is (thankfully) still with us, such is the level of his dementia that I don't think he has much idea of what's going on. Happily (if I may use such a word in this context?) he has a couple of his favourite locos displayed on a piece of track in his room at the care home he's residing in. I think he knows what they are, or, at least, I hope he does (maybe, for some of the time). 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

Life can be so cruel.

[Chas Levin]

2 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Thanks Ray,

 

Just one point, if I may?

 

The monies raised from Brian Lee's collection will go to his wife and family. Though Brian is (thankfully) still with us, such is the level of his dementia that I don't think he has much idea of what's going on. Happily (if I may use such a word in this context?) he has a couple of his favourite locos displayed on a piece of track in his room at the care home he's residing in. I think he knows what they are, or, at least, I hope he does (maybe, for some of the time). 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Hello Tony, I'm sure he obtains some pleasure, however indefinably, from seeing them there. My dad ended up in similar circumstances with Parkinsons and the related dementia that many sufferers of that condition also experience; his main hobbies were musical and he clearly derived some pleasure or comfort from the few souvenirs he had with him, though he wasn't able to say so.

[gr.king]

5 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

At least I didn't say: 'I'm sat on a whole assortment of LMS coach kits ...'

What are you sat on then?

 

Sorry, just had to type that. "On what are you sitting" wouldn't have been at all funny.

Edited November 16, 2022 by gr.king

[Tony Wright]

21 hours ago, Keith Turbutt said:

Hi Tony,

First, I would like add my congratulations to your reaching 10 years of entertaining us with your RMWeb thread. This was particularly valuable during COVID lockdown to keep us all sane. 

 

Moving on to your photo of LB, besides the interest in the hut - is it true that a layout is never finished? - my attention was drawn to the train. I noticed that the guards brake compartment was not leading and wondered how common this was. Most modelers form a train with guards compartments at the outer ends of the rake with additional intermediate brakes if the train is to be split en route. Shorter trains sometimes had the guards brake in the middle of the train.

 

Keith 

Good morning Keith,

 

I have a couple of sets where the brake is 'the wrong way round' so to speak.

 

When the petrol store is fully bedded-down, I'll try and replicate the prototype picture, though I don't have a model of 60158 (other than one to build!). If you recall, it was Bachmann's first A1 release.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Tony Wright]

In response to several requests, I'm videoing Bytham's running sequence (I'm about a third of the way through). 

 

The 'plan' is to have it edited by Christmas (edited by my dear friend, Chris Walsh) and then put on here (for those who can't sleep or who don't like Christmas TV!). 

 

 

One of the trains is an express fish, here hauled by one of Tony Geary's lovely B1s.

 

It's beautifully-weathered, but how far should one go with applying muck?

 

 

Follow the prototype? It looks like no lining, or even branding, would be necessary here! Note the cleaned front 'plate. 

 

I occasionally put a V2 on the fish...............

 

 

However, this would probably have originated in Scotland, so would run overnight. 

 

I like the imagery, however. I built it from an ancient Jamieson kit I'd had for years, and Ian Rathbone painted it. Rob Davey made/weathered the rake.

 

 

What I will video are locos not necessarily built by me. This one came from a deceased modeller's collection, which I sold to Geoff West. It was well-painted, but too glossy, so he weathered it (wonderfully). The problem was it ran like a banshee-inspired projectile. It had two speeds - fast and even faster, and the noise (from its open-framed motor and straight 30:1 Romford gears) was intolerable. Thus, I bought it back off him, dismantled it mechanically, installed a proper drive (can/gearbox) and put it back together. 

 

NORTH EASTERN is hauling 14 kit-built bogies, something beyond any RTR A1 in my experience. 

 

 

[dibateg]

You can see the lead lined roof in 61206... I was concerned about the nuclear threat! I stuffed lead in to the plastic body where ever I could to give it some extra weight.

 

I'm looking forward to the video, a pity we can have it now, I am already sick and tired of Christmas adverts on the telly..

 

Congratulations on the 10 year thread Tony, every day it is worth a read!

 

Regards

Tony

[Tony Wright]

1 hour ago, dibateg said:

You can see the lead lined roof in 61206... I was concerned about the nuclear threat! I stuffed lead in to the plastic body where ever I could to give it some extra weight.

 

I'm looking forward to the video, a pity we can have it now, I am already sick and tired of Christmas adverts on the telly..

 

Congratulations on the 10 year thread Tony, every day it is worth a read!

 

Regards

Tony

Thanks Tony,

 

Here's another of your locos which will feature..........

 

 

And, some of your carriages as well.

 

Who would have thought that an A5 would ever be available RTR? Not that I'll have one - your lovely (modified) Craftsman example is more than good enough for me. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Edited November 17, 2022 by Tony Wright
to add something

[Barry Ten]

If you've got 14 seconds to spare, here's a very brief clip of my Comet/Hornby Duchess under test-running, on that

well-known Duchess turn, the Pines Express.

 

 

 

[drmditch]

Please can I add to the congratulations on your ten-year thread.

(Not to mention all the marvellous modelling.)

It certainly helped me through the lockdowns, and again in a more recent crisis.

I would add some pictures of my own current projects, but today is not likely to provide much sunlight!

 

[Steven B]

On 16/11/2022 at 10:59, Keith Turbutt said:

I noticed that the guards brake compartment was not leading and wondered how common this was. Most modelers form a train with guards compartments at the outer ends of the rake with additional intermediate brakes if the train is to be split en route.

Brake-ends outermost does appear most common in period images. I recall the marshalling instructions suggesting that was the way it should be done.

Finding an image like this with the brake-end innermost took some effort:

(John Turner on Flickr).

 

I'd imagine with most loco depots having a turn-table it wasn't hard to find. Move forward a couple of decades and finding a train with the brake end innermost becomes much easier:

M018-00264 by railphotolibrary.com, on Flickr

 

1Z60: 34046: Beckfoot : 21/08/21 by Paul Berry, on Flickr

 

Steven B.

[Bazza]

Hi Tony, yes, congratulations on the first 10 years of Wright writes. A daily visit for me, even though GWR/BR(WR) rarely features. You probably did not anticipate its popularity and longevity nor, I suspect, did Andy York who may now need a dedicated server for this thread!

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience, we appreciate it all.

 

 

 

[jwealleans]

2 hours ago, Steven B said:

I recall the marshalling instructions suggesting that was the way it should be done.

 

On the LNER I believe this became policy after one of the nastier 1930s accidents, to protect passengers.   On shorter and slower moving branch trains, the guard was often marshalled in the middle so as to be nearer station buildings for parcels and sundries work.  The low speeds meaning the risk to passengers in end compartments was much lower.

 

[rowanj]

2 hours ago, jwealleans said:

 

On the LNER I believe this became policy after one of the nastier 1930s accidents, to protect passengers.   On shorter and slower moving branch trains, the guard was often marshalled in the middle so as to be nearer station buildings for parcels and sundries work.  The low speeds meaning the risk to passengers in end compartments was much lower.

 

i always suspected it was an ex-GNR practice. You can usually spot Leeds/West Riding expresses in the 1950/s/60's  by the location of the Guard's compartment facing the train, whilst those for the NER/ScR have the guard directly behind the loco. I've had a look through a couple of books and those photos which identify the service seem to bear out this practice.

Edited November 17, 2022 by rowanj

[Andy Hayter]

It used to be standard, in fact I think a BoT requirement, that there was a barrier between passengers and the locomotive.  This could be a separate van, a guard's compartment or a set of locked passenger compartments (3?).   AS coach construction improved with replacement of wooden underframes and bodies, this requirement seems to have been (quietly) withdrawn.   Does anyone know when the requirement was rescinded?  Irrespective of that I am sure that the old "rules" will have been deeply embedded in operational practices and will have taken years to disappear.

[4069]

It had gone by the time of the 1928 edition of the Requirements https://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docsummary.php?docID=7409

[mullie]

Congratulations on a decade of RM Web Tony.  I am very much a lurker on this thread, always a fascinating read. In the interests of Show and Tell I offer the following:

 

A Suffolk pub loosely inspired by the Bell at Kersey on a part of my small EM shelf layout. Inset track in the foreground, part of a small East Anglian dockland scene; Upbech Town Quay.

 

 

An Ipswich J72 is seen at Upbech St Mary, another part of the layout. Bachmann body on Comet chassis.

 

 

Martyn

Edited November 17, 2022 by mullie

[robertcwp]

This is from the London Midland Region Passenger Train Marshalling book for 1975:

 

 

[Northmoor]

8 hours ago, robertcwp said:

This is from the London Midland Region Passenger Train Marshalling book for 1975:

 

 

The key words there are "should, as far as practicable" and not "must".  By 1975 they were clearly only guidelines and not rules.

[JeremyC]

17 hours ago, jwealleans said:

 

On the LNER I believe this became policy after one of the nastier 1930s accidents, to protect passengers.   On shorter and slower moving branch trains, the guard was often marshalled in the middle so as to be nearer station buildings for parcels and sundries work.  The low speeds meaning the risk to passengers in end compartments was much lower.

 

This is copied from the report into the into the Castlecary accident of 1937 ( see page 51) (https://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/MoT_Castlecary1937.pdf)

 

"Marshalling.-As stated above, it seems likely that five passengers were 
killed in the Edinburgh train because the leading brake compartment (third 
coach) was not marshalled next the engine, two passenger-carrying vehicles 
having intervened. An Instruction on this subject was issued in the Southern 
Scottish Area on 28th May, 1923, which read as follows:- 
(d) Brake Compartments next Engines.-All Passenger Trains which are provided with 
two Brake Vans or Brake Third Class Coaches should, when practicable, have one of these 
vehicles marshalled next the Engine. When, however, passenger carrying coaches are placed 
next the Engine, it will not be necessary to lock up two empty compartments of the leading 
vehicle. 
The previous practice of locking up compartments next the engine was dis-
continued by the Companies, owing to the inconvenience in working and to 
the impracticability of carrying out the instruction in the case of corridor stock. 
The present Instruction, which appears to be generally applicable, is contained 
on page 66 of the Southern Scottish Area Appendix dated 1st March, 1937, and 
reads as follows : - 
(g~) Brake Compartments next Engines.-All passenger trains should, when practicable, 
have a brake compartment next the engine. 
I was informed by the Company's Superintendent that this Instruction has 
been regarded as only imposing an obligation to marshal passenger-carrying 
vehicles inside the brake van when this could be done without inconvenience to 
the working or without causing delays, and the matter was referred to in my 
Report upon the accident at Shrivenham in 1936. 
With regard, however, to the marshalling of the Edinburgh express in future, 
the Superintendent has now arranged to roster one of the vehicles in question 
as part of the train set, thus allocating it permanently within the front brake 
van. He has also undertaken to marshal the second vehicle within the brake 
van under normal conditions; I understand that this arrangement will be prevented only when traffic conditions are exceptional. The attachment of the latter 
vehicle has to be effected at Edinburgh before the train departs, as it is only 
required for service between Edinburgh and Glasgow. 
I recommend that further consideration be given to this matter by the 
Companies generally, with a view, where necessary, to influencing the traffic 
Staff towards the attachment of all additional vehicles within a brake van, rather 
than to permit inconvenience to be urged as a reason for not applying this 
precaution in the marshalling of passenger trains."

[jwealleans]

That looks like the sort of thing.  i have a feeling I got the initial idea from 'Red for Danger', however many years ago i read that.

 

You don't need to look at many pictures to see that it was an aspiration rather than a rule, though.