TheSignalEngineer

I found some in the shed but the bag isn't there so I can't identify it. IIRC it was from about 20 years ago and came in 10kg and 25kg  bags at a DIY store.

Probably a type you can't get any longer, it now seems to be all like what we used to give a very politically incorrect name to in the steam days.

It's crushed smokeless fuel. I can't remember the brand but I think there may be a bag in the shed, will have a look later.

1 hour ago, D1001 said:

Thanks Eric, I have fixed that one now. It's always a bit of a headache with the depots that changed hands or where dual-owned/shared between companies.

I think there's still a glitch in Northwich or Shoeburyness somewhere as the LT&S Class 79 tanks are still showing some at Northwich and the dates between the tables at the top and bottom of the shed page don't match up.

The information on Northwich seems very fuzzy as the other sites I have looked at don't always give definite dates. I wonder if anyone from the 8E Railway Association has any information?

Thanks for all your good work. I have used the site on many occasions and found it a good resource but as with everything else try to cross-reference where possible.

There are some occasional date problems with shed codes. 

I noticed one today on the LT&S 4-4-2T where some were shown as allocated to 13D Northwich. 

The CLC sheds had LNER codes to 1950 when they were for a short while proposed to become 13 group. Within a few weeks this was changed to put them into existing LMS groups.

The 13 group on the LMS covered LT&S and North London sheds. When the LT&S was transferred to the ER at the start of 1950 the sheds became 33 group with being Shoeburyness changed from 13D to 33C.

It appears that the 'From' date on Northwich as 13D is incorrectly shown as being in 1935, not 1950.

Eric

22 hours ago, Ramrig said:

I could see it as a banking engine. A replacement for Big Bertha?

As a replacement for Bertha a tank loco converted from a 9F could have been attractive if there had been a longer future for steam as it would have used the same boiler, wheels and motion thus simplifying maintenance. 

21 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

It doesn't need to carry vast amounts of water and coal as it's not going to wander very far from shed for long and could refill between turns.

Bromsgrove South Loco siding to Blackwell and back was only about 5 miles, 40% of which was rolling down a steep hill.

Bertha only had a coal capacity of about 4 tons and used about 7cwt per round trip. Tank locos used were Jinty 2.6 tons and 94xx 3.6 tons. The 80000 bunker holds about 3.5 tons I believe.

Bertha had approximately the same 2000 gallon water capacity as a Standard 4MT Tank.

They managed quite happily for coal and water when the 52xx which held 4 tons and 1800 gallons was tried there, the only problem being it was neither one thing nor the other. In banking power terms the Jinty or 94xx counted as 1, Bertha or the 9F as 2 but the 52xx was only 1.5.

The only consideration for wider use would probably be the axle loading with Bertha only being about 15 tons, although a 9F tender is about 17 - 18.5 tons loaded. A 2-10-2T with the same coal and water capacity as a 2-6-4T would be maybe around 100 tons in working order but the adhesion weight woud be better that a 2-10-0 with the weight of the tanks over the driving wheels

55 minutes ago, Ramrig said:

 I could see it as a banking engine. A replacement for Big Bertha?

Beat me to it, my first thought when I saw it.

The last ones ended up at Monument Lane. One of their jobs was New St pilot, where they appeared with Coal Tanks and late survivors of the 2-4-2 tanks. Another place where they sometimes worked was Dudley Port to Dudley. 

The 2-4-2T variety were common at Ryecroft on the South Staffs line services right up to nationalisation.

10 hours ago, Killybegs said:

Thanks for posting the pics Robin, brings back memories of the 50's and 60's. I assume the visiting WR locos came up from South Wales!

Post 1960 after Bath Road stopped doing steam some GW locos were allocated to Barrow Road. Later the remaining ones from St Philips Marsh went there.

We definitely need an 'OMG' button for things like this.

Been there, done that. The working name for my layout was Version 99. I seemed to have produced that many options on paper and Anyrail before tracklaying started.

Putting the strips across between the wheels and coupling means they can be tilted when getting in and out of the rack. I tested by lifting the end to at least 30 degrees with no problem of running away.

Despite its age the old Mainline 2P still looks nice on the layout. The changes we got from Mainline and Airfix at that time certainly raised the bar a few notches, paving the way for the RTR standards we see today.

My Hornby re-issue 2P is now undergoing a cosmetic makeover to run as 40646, which was the Engineer's Trip engine at Walsall at the period of my layout and the Celebrity Loco for two railtours just before withdrawl.

Good idea with the brake rods. Those ends have always seemed poor to me, OK for display but useless for a loco on the layout.

A style I remember well from my commuting days. There are still several examples in place on the North Warwickshire line, the ones I used most were Hall Green and Shirley.

Wilmcote had a different style, the building having a slate roof with a narrow awning bracketed from the front. I believe that also still exists

Not just GWR locos at S-o-A. When the new spur was opened an L1 2-6-4T was used for one of the road learning trips. In 1965 31639 and 33006 worked a railtour over the SMJ. Additionally, although they used the GWR station IIRC, there were records of Jubilees working specials for the theatre trips via Birmingham.