BMacdermott

Hello again Tom Very many thanks for the helpful links - much appreciated. I will be BR Crimson. Brian

Hello Tom Very many thanks for this - I have a Quint set now on order and will follow how you get on via the blog. Generally speaking, my construction skills end at opening the box, so I will be on a steep learning curve! Brian

Hello ClassixT I certainly agree and I can find Mk1 non-gangwayed stock on the Buntingford branch and elsewhere during the late 50s. And the 1957 Carriage Working book shows the stock booked for 5.57pm SX Liverpool St to Cambridge. Brian

Hello Norton Wood Could you tell me what minimum radius these can be made to go round? Radius 3? Are the bodysides in one piece? Many thanks Brian Additional text: 13.50 today Hello again Norton Wood I can see from your blog that the sides are all in one, but would still like to know about radii if possible. And do all knobs etc come with the kit? Cheers! Brian

Hello Gilbert How about the following... In my own similar-sized railway room, I have applied 'film' to the windows. This lets in plenty of light but precludes 'prying eyes'. The film only goes up the window as high as is needed to stop those eyes and I can still 'see out' over the top when needed. I can't recall the view out of your window, but you might get away with just the lower half. It really depends on 'how prying' your neighbours are likely to be and who might see what from where. For your room, take down the vertical blinds and replace with 'up and over' roller-type black-out blinds. These can be motorised and operated with a remote. Hope that is worth thinking about. If you go a shop (or whatever) for a quote, it would be fair to the fitter to have some photos showing how much space is available. To my mind, I would say that any decent fitter could work in your room, but at least it would give them a chance to consider the option. Brian

Hello Tony Some 'wagon observations' to consider... Those packing cases in the wagon in the middle foreground look precarious. And the same goes for the load in what looks like a Lowfit behind a Shocvan in the crane dock to the far right. Brian

On one occasion in 1960 when Railway Roundabout was filming the Evercreech Junction-Highbridge branch train, the crew mounted express lamp code on the 3F! And a GA Richardson 1963 photo shows a tender-first 7F 2-8-0 on a short freight, also displaying express code. Brian

Hello Eric Indeed. The main aim of my post was to alert readers that location and time period are vital factors to take into account when considering if a lamp code is right or wrong. Some S&D drivers used 'standard lamp codes' for a very short while after the WR took after, but soon reverted. Brian

Hello Iain It's good that you are considering these various ideas - it will pay dividends! When I was planning out my layout, I stood in the empty room for days messing around with point templates etc. One major discovery was the positioning of the points for the reverse loops. On my (very rough!) sketch above, they look about centre. In fact, they are slightly biased to the left. This permitted two double-headed trains to store in the right hand outer loop, whereas if the points had been 'dead centre', then they would not have fitted by about three inches. It made no real difference to the left hand loops (for a number of reasons). It's good to draw things out on paper, but proofs of puddings are in eatings. Lay it out on the floor and use some 'dummy trains' to work it through. Can you reach? Will couplers uncouple? What if a point 'fails', how can you replace it? Etc etc. Brian

Hello Eric Fully concur with you there. The attached two RC Riley pics (taken from a poor photocopy of a Trains Illustrated Summer Annual) serve to illustrate the situation. Empty stock between Paddington and West London or Old Oak Common had its own code as in the first pic. ECS from or to elsewhere used the 'normal' code as shown in the second. Any loco driver I have spoken with has always said that (for example) lamp over right buffer means the driver's right hand buffer when moving in a forward direction. Left hand means driver's left hand. Brian

Hello Clem The 'normal' Class A express lamp code was carried occasionally, particularly if the Pines Express headboard or some other 'special headboard' was carried. Brian

Hello everyone Congratulations to RevolutioN Trains on the announcement of their intent to produce the Ecofret Container Flats. We wish them every success with the project. The vehicles were listed 'new' this year in The 00 Wishlist Poll 2019. Although they came in Low Polling it should be noted that 1964-Current Freight Stock category always attracts slightly fewer voters than the other Freight categories. Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Hello Metr0land I can quote from two books... Modern Locomotives Illustrated No.185, Main Line Prototypes, The BR Designs Early 1951 mainly around Derby. 23 May 1951 hauled to Marylebone for static display to BTC. 2 June 1951 hauled to Eastbourne for International Union of Railways Conference. By end August 1951, main line trials to Leicester. Seen at St Pancras 5 November 1951. From January 1952, rostered on 7.10am Derby-Manchester and 11.35am return. March 1952, commenced services Derby-St Pancras and Manchester. March 1954, power trials, Manchester-Liverpool via the Cheshire Lines. May 1954, hauled in a freight train to Willesden for International Railway Congress exhibition. April 1955, Dynamometer Car trials on Settle & Carlisle. Summer 1955, on the Midland main line, including some freight turns. Scenes from the Past 44: Rowsley MPD (Keith Miles, Foxline) Extract: On at least one occasion, and I don't think it was an isolated incident, I had to turn out 40520 to pilot the Fell from South Junction and act as a mobile boiler. Brian

Hello John According to Modern Locomotives Illustrated, No.185, Main Line Prototypes, The BR Designs, the loco went into Derby works and had the central con rod removed after the May/June 1954 International Railway Congress Exhibition (Willesden). The loco was painted Brunswick green with late crest in March 1957. Brian

Hello everyone I have placed my 'expression of interest' and I know of one other who has as well. Brian

Hello everyone Congratulations to Accurascale on this announcement and we wish them every success with the project. The vehicle was to be listed in The 00 Wishlist Poll 2019 but was deleted when KR announced their model...although there was some subsequent confusion over which version was intended and was then subsequently withdrawn. You have to be adept at juggling to be a member of The 00 Poll Team!! Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Hello everyone Congratulations to KR Models on this announcement - we wish the company every success with the project. The loco has been High Polling since 2014. We won't delete the loco from The 00 Wishlist Poll data at present as the company has only asked for 'expressions of interest'. Perhaps KR Models could give some more detail about whether they are planning just the version as in the picture or 'as built' with centre connecting rod etc? I couldn't see anything about 'variants' on the website (except livery - or did I miss something??) Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Hello everyone Congratulations to KR Models on the announcement that they are seeking expressions of interest for the Fell Diesel 10100. As this is 'EoI', we won't remove the loco from The Poll until there is a 'firm running commitment'. We wish the company every success with the project. The loco has been High Polling since 2014. Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Hello Compound2632 I was basing my reply on your statement (viz): I'm afraid I'm not well up on BR-era wagons. It was a BR diagram. Paul Bartlett said the following a few posts back (towards bottom of Page 6). Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team) A very strange idea. Personally I think the Hot pig is an interesting wagon and I was pleased, with Trev Mann, to measure one. BUT photos of them in traffic are very rare and the Coil conversion was heavily chopped around so not easy to say a model could be used for both. https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brhotpigiron The standard Pig Iron - as modelled by Peco in 7mm - would be a much better prototype - with a long life with many used for coil traffic in South Wales. https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brpigiron https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brcoilc

Hello Tony We listed GNSR D40/D41 4-4-0 combined in The 00 Wishlist Poll 2019 and gave reasons within the accompanying Guide (where we refer to Gordon Highlander). The locos came in around the middle of the Middle Polling segment...that is up from having been in Low Polling in previous years. Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Hello Compound2632 And how was I to know that? Brian

Hello Compound2632 Full details were given in The Guide as below. Brian (on behalf of the 00 Poll Team) BR Hot Pig Iron Wagon (Diag.1/005 of 1956) Pig Iron Wagons were a descendant of the BR Lowfit, but Diag.1/005 was an ‘all-new’ design. BR Shildon built 140 in 1956. Many were converted for strip coil in the 1960s. Link: http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brhotpigiron/h331f506f#h2fc6bdf8

Hello John Below is how the G16 and H16 have fared in the past and up to this year. It is worth noting that the Z and W are both in The Top 50 now. 2013 H16 slightly more votes than G16 but both in Low Polling. 12 votes between them. 2014 G16 sightly more votes than H16, but both in Low Polling. 14 votes between them. 2015 H16 and G16, both now Middle Polling and both with exactly the same number of votes. 2016 G16 slightly more votes than H16, both still in Middle Polling. 8 votes between them. 2018 G16 has moved up to lower echelons of High Polling with H16 towards bottom of Middle Polling. 23 votes between them. 2019 G16 has moved up in High Polling with H16 now towards top end of Middle Polling. 31 votes between them. Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Hello 57xx The LMS General Merchandise Wagon (Diag.1666) has always been Middle Polling, but is above the overall halfway mark. It was only a handful of votes outside High Polling this year, with only the LNER Grain Hopper, GWR Open Wagons and the Lowmac/Loriot Middle Polling above it in that category. Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Hello everyone Congratulations to Fran and the team! The Class 37 was one of only two locos that polled well in the Post-2005 Suggestions category in The 00 Wishlist Poll 2019. We wish them every success with the project. Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)