Strathwood

Very nice indeed. The real ones would have had rusty buffers and wheel treads most of the time, before their scrap calls. But just imagine them painted out in Malachite with sunshine lettering perhaps, or maybe early BR black with the big lion and wheel emblems complete with larger style numbers along the sides. Would have been great to look at, but a nightmare to fire and work on for fitters no doubt. Kevin

I can here the telephone ringing in control right now... The beast was always at Derby everytime I went in the early seventies. On another note, wasn't there a 2-BIL there at Derby at one point as well that they had hijacked most likely on its way to Chesterfield for breaking up for some fiendish use by the boffins in white coats. They should have hijacked a rake of 4-CORS if it was for studies on train tilting for the APT, as on 4-CORS through Clapham Junction you needed your sea legs as they swung wildly about towards the end of their days! So you might have an excuse for a 2-BIL in a few years when someone wants to dispose of a Hornby non runner cheap... Now thats thinking outside of the box! Kevin

Looks like you will be up for a rake of Hoods then. By the way i saw a shot the other day of D5901 at Sheffield Midland on a test train, therefore it certainly got about with the boffins onboard. So is that the distant sounds of a Baby Deltic I can here in the distance? Kevin

I must admit whilst there are three shots of this locomotive in Looking back at Class 24 & Class 25 Locomotives but they show it as 5021 and 24021 in blue with a full yellow end, however D5218 makes an appearance in BSYP, as do a large number of other strange livery variations found whilst trawling through thousands of photographs. Kevin

Just putting the finishing touches to Looking back at Class 24 & Class 25 Locomotives to go off for printing early January. See the website for more details or follow the link via the banner. Kevin Derrick Strathwood Publishing

Great stuff keep pushing forward. Kevin

I too would be interested in how the three locos were born please. Kevin

Good point, I missed the entry where this fine building is to be based upon. Even my era of late 1960s had plenty of "slums" still inhabited. Kevin

Nice skirting boards. Next perhaps some distressed soffits and fascia boards, with a few old bits of iron gutting hanging on maybe? Nice job, almost ready for the estate agents to do a valuation. All the best, Kevin

Hmmm superb work but you also need to introduce some deep 10" skirting boards on the papered wall perhaps? Kevin

Great work refreshing to see gentle curvature on trackwrk, far too much out of the box straight flexitrack on too many layouts for my liking seen elsewhere. Keep up the good work. By the way are we talking the steam era or early diesel era as I see the coal stage is built? Kevin

I seem to recall seeing a large scale model of this locomotive some time back on a visit to the NRM in a glass case, a handsome little beastie indeed. Kevin

What are the dimensions of your layout please Phil? Also would be interesting to see a track plan and behind the scenery, always interesting to see how different folk build everthing. Keep the piccies coming. Kevin

Hmmm a large dose of modellers licence for a Baby Deltic on the march through Gloucestershire & Worcestershire in the late 1960s... But then again who cares it will look good on the layout, can we have the number please? Kevin

T Sunshine in the Highlands this morning, dropped my daughter off at Morrisons yesterday and commented to her about how it was all once 60A and that a plaque exists under the vegetation to mark where the turntable once stood in what is now a car park, sadly it does not impress teenagers... I did cast and eye towards the existing depot though whilst I was there, not a 26, 27 ,20, 40, 37, 47, 06 in sight, just a solitary 08 and a 67. Like yourself we can recapture our happier memories back to the late 60s and early 70s when there was some variety. Have been dabbling with N gauge but remain doubtful that my eyes will tollerate it much longer. So have been scheming away to build something new based around late 1967 early 1968 along the North London Line with a very large dose of modellers licence to include anything found during those days within 50 miles of London. Yes I am an ex London lad. You can take the boy out of London but not London out of the boy even being up here in the Highlands. Although I too have thoughts toward EM and having drooled on the 70sEM site many times, the thoughts and costs for converting what will amount to a large fleet of stock eventually is time and money I would rather spend on operating and beer to be honest. Do like your videos and the sound along with the late 60s liveries, great stuff. Kevin

Great layout Phil, perhaps the best period for modern traction. Fingers crossed the weather does not cause too many problems for your show. Would love to see the layout in the fleash but being up here in Inverness precludes visits to many shows sadly. By the way is your track EM or OO finescale as its hard to tell in the videos for sure. Kevin

Very nice indeed, even to a fan of ex LUT trams in LT days, perhaps the plans for that long delayed tram layout will be dusted off in 2014 after all. Kevin

I try where possible (ie Copyright issues and the quality of the shots allowing) to include as many shots as possible of interesting livery variants in either the Sixties Diesel & Electric Days Remembered series or the Looking back at series of books. But I do keep a large record of scans in the library to refer back too. Keep 'em coming. Kevin

Yes the much delayed Western Steam Days Remembered is out and should be in a shop near you right now, alternatively order direct via the website for free postage within the UK. (Sorry overseas but high quality landscape books cost a fortune to send through the post). I have selected from a massive range of 35mm colour slides from the 1950s and 1960s to ensure the best quality large reproduction of interesting colour photographs within this landscape volume. Bringing the best out of not only Swindon's superb 4-6-0s ( no comments from followers of Black Fives please) but also the lower order of fine locomotives in abundance as well, just what many of you have been wanting for years. There are some truly cracking colour photographs to be enjoyed throughout the 160 pages reproduced in larger landscape format (yes for those of us who have wear glasses these days). Chapters take in steam on the Cambrian, Swindon Works and shed, Bristol, Devon & Cornwall, Old Oak Common, specials, South and Mid Wales. All in all a fabulous cast of Churchward and Collett`s finest with a supporting cast from Hawksworth and the range of British Railways Standard designs with lots of interlopers to be enjoyed too. This a volume to be treasured by all who enjoy steam. 160 pages full colour approx 160 photographs, HARDBACK For those who were able to secure a copy of Southern Steam Days Remembered, well done as they are now all sold out whilst we still have copies of the second release in this series London Midland Steam days remembered available. I have almost completed Southern Steam Days Remembered II, London Midland Steam Days Remembered II, Eastern Steam Days Remembered and last but not least Scottish Steam Days Remembered, all should be available in the next twelve months. Kevin Derrick Strathwood

Released at last during the Doncaster Model Railway Show last weekend was Looking back at Class 47 Locomotives which had been delayed due to my health issues last year and then trying to get it bound which caused further delays. Limited to 1000 copies we have almost 500 pre-ordered which have now all gone off in the post and should be arriving very shortly with those who have already secured their copies. Looking back at Class 47 Locomotives follows others in this series and is an all new 96 page colour photographic album taking a close look at these successful and long lived Type 4 locomotives from their introduction in 1962 through to the privatisation era. Inside we look at some of the variations through the years and many of the host of liveries and names the class have borne. A wide selection of locations and workings have been selected from a vast library of colour photographs, sure to appeal to the enthusiasts and modeller alike with informative captions. 96 pages full colour, HARDBACK £19.95 visit www.strathwood.co.uk We will be taking our sales stand to the Model Rail Scotland show and will be launching Looking back at Class 26 & Class 27 Locomotives at the show, so do come and say hello. Kevin Derrick Strathwood

Next two books in this series will be Chasing the Westerns and along the East Coast Main Line. It seems most cameras stayed in their cases whilst in Wales or only came out in horrid weather, however I have some great material for Seventies Spotting Days Chasing the Westerns and for Seventies Diesel & Electric Days Remembered taken throughout Wales. Kevin

A big thanks for the kind comments after my heart attack earlier this year and for everyone's patience whilst I undertook assorted works visits before being passed fit for traffic once again on the mainline. As a result have now just released both Seventies Spotting Days around the North West and Seventies Spotting Days around London & the Home Counties at Warley last weekend, most back orders should be away by the end of today on both titles. The printers expect to deliver Looking back at Class 47 locomotives just before Christmas and both Sixties Spotting Days around London and the Home Counties along with Western Steam Days Remembered early in January, all these were delayed due to my health as Strathwood is a one man band. Once the backlog is cleared I can get started on regular releases once again. Others will have noticed a change in address and phone number to smaller, newer and thankfully warmer premises in Inverness (boy can Boat of Garten get cold in winter). This move means a lot less storage space so I have reverted back to doing short print runs of just 1000 copies again to help overcome these storage problems, this also means if you are quick you can pick up on overstocks of selected steam titles being reduced to make way for fresh titles in the pipeline. Coming soon will be Looking back at Class 26s and Class 27s, Sixties Diesel & Electric Days Remembered IV, Seventies Diesel & Electric Days Remembered and Looking back at Class 31s all of these and future titles will be limited print runs of 1000 copies only as I just do not have the space anymore. Kevin Derrick