multiprinter

79083 - 90 were new to (officially) St Margarets, on loan, between 9/56 and 12/56 and returned to (officially) Swindon in 4 and 5/57. 79083 was officially at Ayr 10/59(From Swindon) to 9/61, 1/62 to 1/70 and 5/71 to 11/71 (At Leith Central between those dates.) This is likely to be the vehicle 59401 mentions having cine film of on Ayrshire duties in his post. 79440/1 both spent a while at Ayr from late 59 to early 62, having been returned from WR to Leith Central initially.

Perhaps the rebuilding will do away, once and for all, with the primitive idea of rail on sleeper on ballast and use a concrete slab base. How many times has the ballast been washed away over the years?

The WR vehicles were all transferred to ScR during 1959. Some went initially to Ayr and the others to Leith Central.

Nooooo! Please don't insult those lovely little birds that can sing so sweetly.

Don't believe everything you read on Wiki.

Nothing like a bit of 'Peace and goodwill to all men'

Botanic Gardens was a nice place to spend a few hours.

Let's put this canard to rest - the GWR had no involvement whatsoever in the nativity. Had it done so there would have been a Manger Class of 4-6-0s

And so say most of us.

The reason I asked about the date is that there is a relatively short timescale available: The DMC of C853 was 51808 and was officially transferred Landore to Canton 08.87 and Canton to Tyseley 05.88. It had been a power twin at Landore with 51799 as C806 and was renumbered to C853 when it went to Canton and became a triple (with, from memory, 59694?) I forget what set number it carried at Tyseley but at least the C would have been removed fairly quickly. Caradoc has now identified the location,so what would WR dmus be doing there? The answer is that they are returning from a visit to Doncaster works but that poses the question as to why 51808 as C853 had been to Doncaster after transfer to Canton when it had been given a C3 overhaul in 02.87 It might be that the photo dates to 05.88 and the transfer from Canton to Tyseley was via a C4 overhaul at Doncaster but at this stage in their lives there was usually a good bit longer between overhauls.

Do you have a date for the photos?

If you check the negative feedback his responses are exactlly the same as the previously mentioned 'negative king'.

I thoroughly enjoy both codes of Rugby and have no difficulty understanding the laws of either. Before the Union game went officially professional it was, in Wales, considered such a sin to even watch 'Northern Rules' that at a Rugby League international played at St.Helens Ground Swansea, the then Wales Rugby Union captain, Mervyn Davies, watched from the terraces with a scarf wrapped around his face in the hope that he wouldn't be recognised. Equally, parents would rather their son was 'gay' than he would ' Go North' ie. sign for a Rugby League club.

Fascinating photos Mike - looking forward to seeing more. One last point about Neath Riverside is that the station was referred to as Bridge St for some time in GWR days and I have an unissued GWR season ticket bearing that appendage.

Good luck Stu. Website looks excellent.

Any aerosol usually works on flies.

Thanks for confirming that my memory is still functioning reasonably well Mike. Somewhere. I'm sure. there is a photo of a Hawkesworth sleeper in B & G in the yard at Milford.

Let me also add my thanks Dave, both to you, for the time and effort taken to post all these photos, and to your late Father for so diligently recording the ordinary working railway.

IIRC the Paddington to Milford sleeper(s) were B & G Hawkesworth stock in the early 70s. 'phil-b259' is correct that there were LMS porthole stock in B & G, though I can't for the life of me remember I've seen photos.

I suspect the cause of the haphazard look is that photos usually show the front or rear of the train, which is where the through portion and/or strengthening vehicles were marshalled.

Just some thoughts which are offered for comment: Way back in the 1970s when I was learning to drive, whilst I had lessons from a professional instructor, most of my practice was with my father. Back and fore to school was the weekday practice. On the weekends I had the 'pleasure' of driving around the Docks roads. My father was Assistant Dockmaster so this was a perk. As most will know, docks had no shortage of railway lines crossing the roads, rarely signposted, so I learnt equivocably at that stage that a railway line without gates or barriers, means stop and look, even on a sunday. Forward a few years and I am now a guard sitting in the front end of a northbound parcels. As we reached a half barrier crossing in the North-east of England, we (driver and I), can see cars stopped at the barrier and then a Morris Marina passed four stopped cars and drove onto the crossing on the wrong side of the road. Do you need any more information? Cruuuuuunnnnccchhh. One Marina under the front end of a Class 47 moving at about 90mph. 600 yards or so later we stop and a whole lot of protection of the line etc. duties for the guard. Not one that involved me at all, but how can any driver be so incompetent as to hit the second coach of a DMU? Its 57ft long and 12ft plus high. How the blazes couldn't he see it? (Llandybie Crossing, Ammanford in the mid 80's)

The new Pope is a modeller?

Does that include people selling models painted by you?

Surely you could model the Circle Line in T gauge on a toilet pan?

It occurs to me that anyone exhibiting a T gauge/P450 layout could have a lucrative sideline selling magnifying glasses.