Andrew Young

In best Blue Peter style, here’s one I made earlier... to wet the appetite. It’s a lovely carriage. Phil provided me with sides, ends, some brake gear and spring castings. I built a floor and chassis out of styrene to which I added W irons, wheels and buffers from a Slater’s wagon chassis kit. The roof is one of the 7mmNGA roof sections and seats were knocked up out of styrene. A thoroughly enjoyable build, must finish off the rest of the train now. Cheers, Andrew

There are several photos of various Tanat Valley tank locos with passenger trains formed of a pair of very presentable looking 4w GWR carriages in chocolate and cream from the mid 30’s. The latest dated one one I can see is an Ifor Higgon photo of 1196 complete with monogram at Oswestry with the end compartment of a clean looking four wheeler attached dated October 1938 in Green’s Cambrian Album. There are photos of four wheelers, in plain brown and with the GWR monogram taken as late as 1951 in the Oakwood Press book on the Burry Port & Gwendreath Valley Railway. Andrew

Can see Worcestershire Parkway becoming a useful park and ride station for London commuters living that side of Worcester. As for the Midland Side, as recent years have seen line speed increases further west and pathing tweaks to speed up the service between New St and Bristol (they also have padding in them for coping with the Cross City services), stopping at the new station will do nothing to continue these improvements. Especially as currently, the Cardiff’s have the Bristol on their tale by Cheltenham as it is and the Nottingham’s have the HST/Voyager following them into Derby. Andrew

Looking at Connoisseur Models’ stand on Saturday, Jim has a Drewry four wheeled diesel loco kit in preparation that looked rather nice, including a side skirted version. Don’t know when it’s due out and there’s nothing on his website yet. Andrew

The problem is more likely that you’re trying to run a Loco with too long a wheelbase (57xx Panniers and Jinties) through point work that is just too sharp for them, unless it is laid like a billiard table. Whilst the Minerva Victory is a large Loco, it’s industrial origins are such that it has a relatively short wheelbase for the size of Loco to help it negotiate sharp curves such as the PECO set track. if you’re running the larger panniers and jinties, you really need to use the larger radius points that PECO produces. Andrew

Agree with you about questioning Rice’s FJ saddle tank shape, just doesn’t look right in his drawing. Both of the above photos of FJ locos look to me like they have the same shape saddle tanks as Talyllyn. Must lend you my FJ books...

Some yes. My in-laws met whilst volunteering on the Talyllyn in the 70’s. Volunteering is up to personal choice. I find I get pleasure from seeing steam railways continue on into the future. As well as carrying out my roles, it’s also rewarding to train others up to perform the same role like others did to me. After 28 years, I’ve not grown bored of the TR and doubt I ever will, plus I’ve made some very good friends along the way. These railways closed down because they were unprofitable, without me and others giving our time, they would die out. But you’ve got to gain a sense of enjoyment from volunteering to do so. Andrew

Shoukd clarify that these aren’t enforced marriages... The Talyllyn has been a very effective dating service now over several generations. Aided by having plenty of younger volunteers.

Through my Dad, we got involved with the East Midlands Group of the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society when I was a kid. This involved taking trade stands to shows and also area group working party visits to Tywyn. When old enough, I joined the Loco department working my way up to driver. I have been a guard at one time also, but no longer. However I’m also a Blockman (our term for Signalman) and take part in engineering working parties in the winter when I can, mainly on carriage maintenance. I spent five years editing our volunteers newsletter, had stints on the Society Council and have put together the Railway’s Guide Book. Though a 7 1/2 month old daughter has reduced the time that can be spent currently on some of these extra duties. Through my Talyllyn connections, I got an interview and then a clerical job with Virgin Trains shortly after I left University. Two years after that, I got a driver’s job with the CrossCountry arm of the business and been driving Voyagers and HSTs out of Derby since. The TR has many volunteers who are also modellers, and several who hold down jobs on the big railway too. Plus, like several others, I found my wife through volunteering on the Talyllyn. We spent the first two weeks of July in Tywyn swapping 125mph tin rockets for 15mph antique kettles. Here’s a nice shot of me bringing No 3 across Dolgoch viaduct. Hope that answers your questions. Andrew

Thanks Dave, was great to see Charmouth finally, certainly lived up to my expectations. I like the impression of space in the size you’ve got. Andrew

Some photos from Saturday’s excellent selection of layouts. Cheers, Andrew

Our local group of the 7mmNGA run the show for the Convention so will be one of the first to arrive and one of the last to leave so keeping me there all day. if I were just visiting, what you suggest would be great, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. Cheers, Andrew

It’s a shame this clashes with the 7mmNGA show in Burton as otherwise I’d have liked to have come along. If you could run future shows on a date other tha. The second Saturday in June, then you’d get a few more of us along to visit. Hope it goes well. Andrew

Agree with 62613, think MSE are your best starting point for this. I know they do Midland signal kits in 7mm scale so suspect they do the same in 4mm scale to start you off. Andrew

The lower quadrant is original Midland, probably the last of its kind on the network, the upper quadrants are the latter LMS/LMR replacements. Andrew

Picked up a copy on Tuesday (Smiths at Bristol TM) and there were copies in IA in Brum that day too. Another cracking issue, not much in my scale/area of interests, but plenty of excellent modelling on show to inspire. Those Midland signal boxes are exquisite... and tiny! Andrew

Good point. It’s great that the standard gauge version is just down the road for times when I can’t be in Tywyn Think the Knotty Train is a fantastic achievement and a great development for Foxfield. For me, far more appropriate to the railway than a Mk 1.

Great to see that work is already underway on the fourth carriage, will be a great sight and look forward to many more trips in the Knotty train. A fantastic restoration effort. Not quite unique though, the Talyllyn still has its complete set of five four wheeled carriages from the 1860s running and a pair of 1860s built locos to haul them. Andrew

The 37 was done for a TV advert. In the latter days of XC Loco hauled services in Virgin days we had a number of different liveried 47’s, including the Police one alongside an anti trespass campaign.

The Q train concept. I did suggest to our Control Sunday night that we could’ve done with one. An empty Voyager with a load of police on board running just ahead of Scotsman would’ve paid for itself in the fines they would’ve dished out! Andrew

All XC driving cabs have Forward Facing CCTV cameras, they were busy downloading all the units involved when I booked off Sunday evening. Andrew

Whilst they are borderline 6ft from the nearest running line. If you were lineside, I’d expect you to be keeping a look out for approaching trains, especially on a 125mph railway? These weren’t and their equipment was placed so they’d been foul of the line had they gone to get something out of it. Therefore I considered them to be a danger to themselves. There were numerous others who were moving about as we approached, standing foul of the line whilst not looking in the direction that trains on that line were approaching and crossing the line on foot in sight of approaching trains. These were the people we were dealing with and who we considered were a danger to themselves. We’re not talking about reporting people who’d stood the wrong side of a boundary fence 40ft away from the running line. They weren’t posing a danger to my train, I know what happens when you hit a human with a Voyager at 125mph (near Northallerton last year) and there’s only one winner! But they were posing a danger to themselves so we’re duty bound to report them. Maybe it’s a good job that Scotsman was behind the Cardiff, there were plenty on the track who weren’t paying any attention to what was running on the up line and approaching at 125mph. In nearly twenty years of driving trains, I’ve never seen so many people in so many stupid positions on or very near the lineside. Andrew

They told me they were the adjoining landowners who’d come out to get photos of Scotsman passing their land. They were a fair way from any access road, but near some farm buildings, so don’t believe they’re average spotters despite their decent cameras. But I could be wrong. Andrew

Had a very enjoyable trip over to Foxfield yesterday for a ride in the Knotty carriages. Fine restorations and it’s the perfect train for Foxfield. No 2 from Tanfield was the perfect Loco to haul it. Andrew

I took the photo having stopped the Voyager in the background, got out, walked over to this lot via a third trespasser in a similar position on the other side of the line, took the photo and then had an argument with them because they thought they were fully entitled to stand where they were and didn’t see a problem with it! Notice the camera bags on the parapet, only able to be reached by standing foul of the line. They seemed completely oblivious to anything moving on the up line, focussing as they were on framing the shot on the down These people and dozens more were in a position endangering themselves. That’s why the driver of 1V06 and I had to keep stopping to report them. As another video shows, even Scotsman’s crew had to stop and remonstrate with some! 975 minutes delay affecting 58 trains with some part cancellations. Thousands of people had their travel plans ruined and thousands more got a crap photo of Scotsman dawdling along rather than in full flight due to a few hundred morons. Was a shame, because heading from Sheffield to Birmingham earlier, about half an hour ahead of Scotsman’s scheduled time, there were hundreds of thousands at every safe vantage point, all behaving themselves. Apart from s couple of stations where we had to lean on the horn due to people not standing back from the edge as trains approached. It didn’t help that the local papers published the times and where to see Scotsman type articles which brought the crowds out who wouldn’t come out for other steam workings. Andrew