Popular Post Swindon 123 Posted April 22, 2016 Author Popular Post Share Posted April 22, 2016 Time has moved on from the last post, and like all things has moved on, as has Greg's modelling. Some new things are in the pipeline, but to fill in this space, here are a few photos that I have been waiting to post for a while. It is a bit of an eclectic mix, but there is a method to the madness. First up a shot looking at a rather busy Shenston Road, with a variety of loco classes present. (Lucky spotters) I've been waiting to post this shot of Shenston Road North Box for a while. It is made up from a couple of Ratio OO GWR Signal Box 500 kit put together with a scratchbuilt base. A pair of 37's from Greg's fleet, 6728 & 6999. Next up 1005 "Western Venturer" on oil tanks passing Cl 47, 1720 in the Up Loop with a coal train. A side shot of 1005 "Western Venturer", showing Greg's attention to detail when it comes to weathering a loco. The same goes in this shot of 1720. Photographs of the prototype loco are a must when weathering a model, where possible. Another shot of 1005 "Western Venturer" on a train of Gulf heavy oil tanks, this time trackside. Although Greg prefers the lineside type of shot, I do think that the arial does convey the scale of of the layout and train. 1813 on a train of Gulf light oil tanks. The next one is for Greg, 1813 powering through Shenston Road with its train of tanks. That's is it for this post. The next couple of posts will cover the Gulf tanks that Greg has modeled, both the light and heavy oil types. We both had a lot to do with them, working on the Waterston to Albion tanks trains during the 80's. Paul J. 33 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leopardml2341 Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 Keep 'em coming please, Paul. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iak Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 Wibbling furiously! As stimulating as ever - bravo... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
D1047 Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 Thanks Paul for adding more pics.Just to add to your captions The R.T.B. cradled 16t is Bachman with added coil cradle and copied off Paul Bartletts article that appeared in M.R.C. many moons ago.The war-flat is one of three I built about 20 years ago is a beefed up Parkside with john Talbots end Jacks and buffers added as per pics I have sourced.The latest project was up dating my scratch built Gulf 100t heavy oil tanks again built 20 years with the superb sprung Colin Craig Esc-1 bogies. The Gulf 100t grey liveried tanks are Bachman re liveried and extra ladders added to represent a more accurate train for the early era.Thanks for the likes and comments guys and to all those who add the inspirational pictures that allow us to represent some long ago model. cheers Greg B. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 Very nice pictures - this is how a train set should look ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Wibble Posted April 30, 2016 Popular Post Share Posted April 30, 2016 Some more snaps of Greg's Gulf tanks captured at Hornsey Broadway 21 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Wibble Posted April 30, 2016 Popular Post Share Posted April 30, 2016 28 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobster Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Wow. superb pics - That first pic at Hornsey Broadway looks very real - First class modelling as usual. Cheers, Bob. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Takes me back to school in Llanelli in the late 1960s/early 1970s; there were regular trainloads (11 bogie wagons) from Waterston to Rowley Regis several time a day. The track was still laid in 60' panels, and these wagons would make a very distinctive noise as they rolled along. I hesitate to imagine what damage they must have caused to the track. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swindon 123 Posted May 5, 2016 Author Share Posted May 5, 2016 As oil tanks seem to feature in the most recent photos posted I may as well keep on that thread and post some more information on Greg's oil tank fleet. The tanks he has portrayed hark back to the days when we both worked on oil trains to and from Albion Oil terminal between Dudley Port and Sandwell and Dudley stations. This particular post will cover the light oil tanks to Dia TE014/E. This batch of 10 tanks was built by Pickering's in 1968 and coded TEB. Greg has modeled 9 of the 10 tanks in this batch. They all started life as Bachmann models but have been modified with extra ladders on the ends and re-liveried into the earlier Gulf livery for the early 1970's and numbered in the earlier number series, 20080 to 20089. In later years they carried the number series BRT 84080 to 84089. First a couple of shots showing the opposite sides of the underframe. Gulf TEB 20082. Opposite side of the underframe as seen on Gulf TEB 20083. The original Bachmann bogies these tanks originally came with have been changed for Colin Craig's Gloucester cast steel (GCS) fully sprung bogies, and very nice they run too. Here are three more photos to show the different styles of weathering found on these tanks. Gulf TEB 20086. Gulf TEB 20088. Gulf TEB 20089. To finish off the train a barrier vehicle was required. Before the days of battery electric tail lamp, a barrier wagon had to be provided between the last tank and the tail lamp. This was to stop any escaping gasses from the tank coming into contact with a naked flame. These would have to be air braked to work with these tanks so in the early days choices of wagons where limited. One of the type of wagons used was the MGR hopper. A photo of one of these appeared in one of the Dave Larkin, Wagon Page's that used to occasionally appear in the Railway Modeller. The August 1970 edition of the Modeller had a photo of an MGR lettered up in this role on page 251, strangely titled "LMS Wagons". It was numbered B350693 and it is that wagon that Greg has modeled to complete the train, as seen in the photo below. MGR barrier, B350693. That is it for the "light oil" tanks. The photos above and those previously posted by Wibble cover the extent of this particular fleet. Next I will focus attention on Greg's "heavy oil", black tank fleet. Paul J. 14 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Ramblin Rich Posted May 5, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 5, 2016 Really good photos as always, but I'm absolutely fascinated about the need for an otherwise completely redundant wagon, just to hang an oil fuelled lamp on! Another example of the struggle to adopt modern workings when so much of the infrastructure was ancient... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted May 6, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 6, 2016 Fantastic stuff For me the Waterston - ALbions were always a pair of 37s . IIRC they started running via Worcester but I think that only lasted for a year before they ran via Shrewsbury - was that so they arrived at Albion facing in the right direction without having to perambulate around Brum or perform a run round? Traffic from South Wales to Rowley Regis was from Llandarcy wasn't it? Those trains were usually a 47 or - oh joy - a Wizzo Cant wait to see your heavy oil tanks! Cheers Phil 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iak Posted May 6, 2016 Share Posted May 6, 2016 Whooosh! Very tasty beasties. I do like the way that the basic Bachmanns have been gilded up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swindon 123 Posted May 6, 2016 Author Share Posted May 6, 2016 (edited) Fantastic stuff For me the Waterston - ALbions were always a pair of 37s . IIRC they started running via Worcester but I think that only lasted for a year before they ran via Shrewsbury - was that so they arrived at Albion facing in the right direction without having to perambulate around Brum or perform a run round? Traffic from South Wales to Rowley Regis was from Llandarcy wasn't it? Those trains were usually a 47 or - oh joy - a Wizzo Cant wait to see your heavy oil tanks! Cheers Phil Hello Phil. The tanks had to be backed into Albion terminal from the Up Stour line. From the loco you could see Sandwell and Dudley station when doing this. The return journey was via Soho Jcns, Perry Bar Jcns, Bescot, Portobello Jcn and back to Wolverhampton. If you look at the page I've scanned below, from my route book, Albion Oil Terminal is in the middle of the drawing. To go via Worcester would mean a reversal at Wolverhampton somewhere, but there used to be a route from Wednesbury on the Bescot-Dudley line to Bloomfield Jcn, just west of Tipton station so they may have gone that way in the early years. Setting back into the terminal was controlled by lights, positioned so as to be seen by the driver backing the train in from the leading cab. At least two lights where visible at all times and you only set back when the lights where lit. Although 47's where the usual traction for us for the Albion, pairs of 37's did turn up occasionally, and Greg had the good fortune to use one of the 50's off the London's to work to Albion from Hereford, when the 47 failed. I'm sure he'll remember which one and the date. I'm just getting ready to upload some photos onto my Flickr site taken during a trip on the Albion tanks in April 1985. I'll let you know when I've uploaded them. Paul J. Addendum; I have now uploaded my "Albion Tanks" journey photos onto my Flickr site. They can be found here. https://flic.kr/s/aHskzAGSEu Edited May 6, 2016 by Swindon 123 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted May 7, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 7, 2016 (edited) Just had a look at that Flikr stream .... wonderful! What a way to earn a living Did Hereford men sign the road all the way? Will go back to my records and see what I can find re 37s... Memories are of the Gulf tanks in this livery http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Bachmann+gulf+oil+tankers&view=detailv2&&id=D54FA91B007CF337935CF5D4DF00000E326D38FE&selectedIndex=7&ccid=X22DHdKc&simid=607987445329691836&thid=OIP.M5f6d831dd29c848d1f30e58b542f1ebao0&ajaxhist=0 Edited - that's the wrong link - see post 248 below Cheers Phil Edited May 10, 2016 by Phil Bullock 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swindon 123 Posted May 7, 2016 Author Share Posted May 7, 2016 Just had a look at that Flikr stream .... wonderful! What a way to earn a living Did Hereford men sign the road all the way? Will go back to my records and see what I can find re 37s... Memories are of the Gulf tanks in this livery http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Bachmann+gulf+oil+tankers&view=detailv2&&id=D54FA91B007CF337935CF5D4DF00000E326D38FE&selectedIndex=7&ccid=X22DHdKc&simid=607987445329691836&thid=OIP.M5f6d831dd29c848d1f30e58b542f1ebao0&ajaxhist=0 Cheers Phil Hello Phil glad you enjoyed the photos. Hereford men signed all "around the houses" for the Albion's, and as they used to sign Worcester-Birmingham via Stourbridge and the Lickey they could get there 3 ways. Most never signed the loop from New Street around via Aston to Perry Bar, but I did in later years, not in conjunction with the Albion Tanks but steel trains from Llanwern to Wolverhampton Steel Terminal at Monmore Green. This also involved going "around the houses" as well. Paul J. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted May 7, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 7, 2016 Hi again Theres some interesting gen 3/4 way down this old thread which seems to confirm my recollections.... http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=26644&hilit=soho+pool Cheers Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Ramblin Rich Posted May 8, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 8, 2016 Addendum; I have now uploaded my "Albion Tanks" journey photos onto my Flickr site. They can be found here. https://flic.kr/s/aHskzAGSEu More interesting info, I had no idea these trains came in from the Shrewsbury line. I used to live in Codsall, probably assumed any oil trains seen were to/from Ironbridge power vacation. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted May 8, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 8, 2016 See the spull chickers been at it again Rich!!!!! Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Ramblin Rich Posted May 8, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 8, 2016 Argh! Perils of the touch sensitive keyboard. Obviously that's Ironbridge power station.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wibble Posted May 8, 2016 Share Posted May 8, 2016 Should have left vacation it as it was...... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swindon 123 Posted May 10, 2016 Author Share Posted May 10, 2016 Next part of the oil tank saga, and so as not to keep Phil Bullock in suspense any longer here are Greg's representation of the Gulf heavy oil tanks. The prototype tanks modeled are TEA, Fuel Oil tanks to Diagram TE015/B in the number series GULF85027-85048 built by Metro Cammell in 1970, although Greg has modeled them with their earlier Pre-TOPS Gulf numbers. The models are based on old Hornby tanks, (they where done around 15 years ago, if not more), with the ends cut off and replaced with Appleby Models cast coned ends on scratch built chassis with air brake detail supplied by Appleby Models. The catwalks are made from scribed plasticard and microstrip/rod has been used to represent the steam pipework the the heating coils on the ends of the tanks. Originally they ran on cast whitemetal bogies, but these have recently been replaced by the correct ECS1 sprung bogies by Colin Craig. Well that is the blurb on the tanks over with so here are some photos of them. And finally a photo of one showing the other side of the underframe. The odd man out in Greg's train of Heavy oil tanks is a tank built to Diagram TE010/A, built by Standard Wagon in 1970. Greg has modeled it with its original number BRT 20285, although I haven't been able to definitively identify a TOPS number for it. Another early conversion, it also started life as a Hornby tank barrel with Appleby ends on a scratchbuilt chassis, with Appleby Models Schlieren bogies. Some may wonder why I make the distinction between the two types of tanks as Light or Heavy tanks. That was how we know them when working the trains as there could be quite a difference between the two. The normal load for the Waterston-Albion tanks was 12 tanks. Originally with 2x37's it was 16 tanks. The maximum booked load for a 47 was 1240 tons with 12 tanks. If the train was made up solely of Black heavy oil tanks then the load could be 1240 tons. (The max weight I ever worked was 1239 tons). However if the train was made up only of "light oil tanks", usually carrying petrol, then the train weight could be as low as only 1070 tons. It was quite a noticeable difference. Mixed trains of both heavy and light tanks where not uncommon, as was mixed 4 wheel and bogie tanks in a train. 4 wheel tanks made no difference to the train speed when loaded, both 4 wheel and bogie being 60MPH. The complication was that 4 wheel tanks when empty where limited to 45MPH so you ran as a class 7 instead of a 6 if you had any empty 4 wheelers in your train. Most of the trains we worked where heavy oil as this was very thick and didn't run through the pipeline connecting Waterston with the Albion oil terminal very well. If they did send heavy oil through the pipe, a lot of time was wasted getting it clean again. So they preferred to send the heavy oil to Albion by train and leave the pipeline for petrol on the other easier to pump fuel oils. Every now and again something unusual would appear. So I will end this post with a couple of photos of a tank that appeared on a Albion tank train I worked south of Hereford, returning to Waterston. Gulf TEA 82015 Close up of the experimental X-brace bogie. That just about covers Greg's fleet of oil tanks. He has been busy hill walking over his Peak fleet. So I'd better get out with the camera and capture them. Until then. Paul J. 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted May 10, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 10, 2016 Many thanks Paul - wonderful stuff!!! And of course I posted the wrong link above - should have been http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=TMC+Bachmann+gulf+tanks&view=detailv2&&id=0CED455C6549B189BA2864611AF45FEF8B849FFD&selectedIndex=4&ccid=yzeg8h%2bh&simid=607999643048609428&thid=OIP.Mcb37a0f21fa165bfb6abefb2c3e8428fo0&ajaxhist=0 Cheers Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Very nice tankers you have Great pictures too. cheers neil. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
D1047 Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Thanks again to Paul and Kier for posting the latests pics on my Gulf tanks.When seen on the screen in unforgiving magnification a couple of issues make them selves known which I will have to address.Hand brake wheel missing off 100t tank BRT20285 and also the barrier- wagon B350695 is missing a lot of internal detail.I will replace it with the latest Hornby body after removing the top line of rivets and then add the internal braces to represent the early style body. Thanks again to everyone who has commented. cheers Greg 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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