6959

D6334 with head code boxes at Gloucester Central - no date but seems to be in plain green. http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertcwp/3201570503/

If D6316 as here...http://www.ehattons.com/56923/Dapol_D1000g_Class_22_B_B_Diesel_Hydraulic_D6316_font_A_in_BR_green_with_small_yellow_ends/StockDetail.aspx ... had the yellow panels painted out in green, and number was changed to D6335, Would that produce a reasonably accurate model? If inaccurate, What would let it down?

Regarding green Class 22 loco's with split head code boxes, as in link to D6316, Did they all have small yellow panel? I would prefer a plain green one with head code boxes. http://www.ehattons.com/56923/Dapol_D1000g_Class_22_B_B_Diesel_Hydraulic_D6316_font_A_in_BR_green_with_small_yellow_ends/StockDetail.aspx Thanks

eHattons had six of D6326 for sale on Sunday, three late yesterday, none today. http://www.ehattons.com/59077/Dapol_4D_012_000_Class_22_B_B_Diesel_Hyraulic_6326_in_BR_Green_No_yellow_warning_panels_disc_hea/StockDetail.aspx It would be interesting to know how many people on this forum bought D6326 in past few days after becoming aware from posts that this loco was sold out at Dapol and nearly so at eHattons.. Anyone who wants a D6326 but did not buy one may need to mop up any remaining at other dealers.

External Link to D6326 in shed (Flickr)... http://www.flickr.com/photos/38949371@N04/3706748283/in/photostream/

Very extravagant but today I bought D6326 in BR green - no yellow warning panels and disc head code - because they seem to be about run out of stock so it was now or never. One web site says they are sold out at the supplier and eHattons had five left (was six yesterday). As I write, the stock has in past half an hour reduced to three available. It is the most expensive diesel loco I have bought especially inch-for-inch of length. D6326 compliments a Heljan Hymek D7009 and Bachmann Warship D816 'Eclipse' all of which are plain green without yellow peril fronts. In 1961 'The Cornishman' was hauled by a Warship and it seemed that mainline steam was nearly over. I had a close inspection of a static D800 at Temple Meads when one of the other apprentices threw my haversack onto the track and I had to retrieve it PDQ so as not to get bo**cked by British Transport Police. I also have three Lima Westerns: D1000 'Western Enterprise' in sand livery, D1003 'Western Pioneer' in green with small yellow panel, and D1016 'Western Gladiator' in maroon. Maroon Westerns evoke memories of Paignton in mid 'sixties. My Western models need upgrading but there do not seem to be many options for 'proper' Westerns. I paid seven Pounds each in 1979 so they do not owe me anything. I avoided the Hornby version when it came out because it did not look right compared to Lima version, even if it ran better. In early 1980s I bought two Mainline Warships in green with small yellow panel for double heading. They need frequent use to avoid oxidation or they will not run at all and they have 'clicky' gears. D824 'Highflyer' cost eleven quid and D825 'Intrepid' cost six quid so they are not a great loss. The D6300 diesel hydraulics hold a special memory for me. Back in 'that winter' of 1962/ 63 it was icy from Boxing Day 1962 until nearly Easter 1963. One frosty morning whilst waiting on Pill platform for the usual pannier and short train to Portishead, a D63 turned up light engine with a guy leaning out of the front cab window shouting, "No trains today, points frozen". Various shouts along the lines of, "...then, How did you get here?", and, "What the F*** do we do to get to work now" met with an equally manly reply. As the loco drifted to a very brief stop I somewhat cheekily asked, "Any chance of a ride to Possit?" "Jump in but don't touch anything" was the reply. I thought I was alone on that part of the platform but I got pushed on by a hoard of blokes who seemed to come from nowhere. For years I thought this was an event to remember but was upstaged years later by some Filton fitters on a Fairford working party who tried the same trick one Friday afternoon and bummed a lift on Concorde back to Filton via Bay of Biscay. Thanks to members on this forum for down to earth advice on vagiaries of Dapol Class 22..

Left side of 4061 showing pipe cover on smokebox... "One of the last GWR Stars, 4061 Glastonbury Abbey turns onto the North Warwickshire line at Tyseley with an excursion from Birmingham Snow Hill to Swindon in September 1955". http://www.robertdarlaston.co.uk/Railways50yr.htm scroll down to img161

http://www.flickr.com/photos/64518788@N05/8076665470/ Star 4061 Glastonbury Abbey passes High Wycombe with rather a short train in summer 1957

external link 4018 http://www.brdatabase.info/locoqry.php?action=locodata&type=S&id=4018&loco=4018

external link to BRDatabase ref 4061... http://www.brdatabase.info/locoqry.php?action=locodata&type=S&id=4061&loco=4061

External Link... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Basingstoke,_with_GW_%27Star%27_4-6-0_geograph-2896730-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg extract...Portsmouth - Birmingham express at Basingstoke, with late-surviving ex-GW 'Star' 4-6-0. View westward, towards Southampton, Bournemouth, Weymouth, also Salisbury, Exeter etc.: ex-LSW main line from Waterloo, joined here by the ex-GW line from Reading etc. The 13.11 Portsmouth Harbour to Birmingham Snow Hill joined the LSW main line at Eastleigh and will run via Reading West Curve and Oxford to Birmingham. The Churchward 'Star' is No. 4061 'Glastonbury Abbey', built 5/22 and withdrawn 3/57.

The late Dennis Western (very appropriate surname) whom I worked with in 1980s told me the story that during the war he was a fireman on the 'Western' and fired 'Chirck Castle' which said was the only 'Castle' that was fully lined and used for the 10 o'clock [maybe 1030] off paddington. He said that all the others were unlined black but I think he was inferring that sometimes all dirty engines looked black whether they were green or black under the wartime grime. He did not say at what date he was a fireman on GWR. Information provided in good faith so take it or leave it.

There have been comments on previous posts that the front buffers on Hornby R3166 are wrong. Comparing real 4018 with model 4018 as representing mid-1930s condition they look the reasonably similar to me. Real 4018 loco picture at top.

Due to model supply delays from China that seem to get worse and worse, I decided that I should buy a Dapol class 22 before they disappear. I got as far as putting my credit card details into the form but then got cold feet and decided to read through these posts. My opinion now is that this is a can of worms and best left alone. What is the general opinion about the running and relability of these class 22 loco's? http://www.ehattons.com/59077/Dapol_4D_012_000_Class_22_B_B_Diesel_Hydraulic_6326_in_BR_green_No_yellow_warning_panels_disc_he/StockDetail.aspx Thanks.

External link to picture of 4018 in 'Great Western' livery pre-roundel for those who want to back date it to 'proper' GWR. http://www.steampicturelibrary.com/no-4018-knight-of-the-grand-cross/print/7664015.html

External link to 31 pictures of Star class... http://www.steampicturelibrary.com/star-class-locomotives/photo/91848.html

External links to photo's of 4062 Malmesbury Abbey for future reference of BR version. http://www.steampicturelibrary.com/no-4062-malmesbury-abbey/print/698265.html http://www.steampicturelibrary.com/no-4062-malmesbury-abbey/print/698354.html

A comment in another post saying that the Hornby 4018 has a flush sided ['welded'] water tank made me have another look at this photo of the real 4018 which has a riveted tank like the Hornby Granges. R4018 also has the lamp iron on top of the smokebox instead of being lower on the door.

Link to Steam at Swindon Lode Star... http://www.swindonlink.com/news/classic-swindon-loco-lode-star-model-on-sale

External link to picture of real 4018 showing that cab rail is below boiler handrail, not in line as per Hornby model. Apologies if it was mentioned before and I missed it. http://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrls162.htm

Please can anyone say with reasonable accuracy which were the running numbers of the Hawksworth coaches that were delivered in 1946 and 1947? Michael Harris' book and Comet web pages give only the completion date of the last coach in each batch. Thanks in advance.

or 'Lady GoSciver'

When I was an apprentice I worked on a lathe with a six feet diameter faceplate. The lathe had a top speed of 250RPM and I soon became aware how violent it could be if the job bolted to the face plate was the slightest bit out of balance. I read somewhere that 250RPM was a sensible rotation speed for a steam locomotive but cannot prove this. My gut feeling is that to run at any wheel speed faster than 250RPM the locomotive needs to be well balanced and in good condition. I just did these few calculations in a spreadsheet to get a feel for this.

Gloucester to Bristol main line via Wickwar and Yate was LMS GWR joint at least as far south as Westerleigh - LMS buldings and signals etc - GWR had running rights but trains from all regions used this line especially trains from North East cities to South West resorts. You could run almost anything on this line. Severn Beach line - LMS infrastructure with LMS or GWR loco's. Often GWR small prairies on secondary passenger services until DMUs, and GWR 2-8-0s on goods out of Avonmouth. Some Halls and other GWR loco's on excursions. Some trains did a round Robin using Severn Beach line to Avonmouth and then GWR loop line via Henbury to Filton. Not sure what the weight limit was on Severn Beach line. The branch at one time had a way out of Severn Beach onto GWR line at Pilning.

Thanks for the info. I had the red and cream, plain crimson, a** about face so need to restructure my running list of what coach to run with a particular engine. Also explains why Airfix and Hornby plain crimson B-Sets have a 'W' suffix to their running number.