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Hi Mike Thanks for the information. I've been asking about the newer loco models now available and the 37s in particular. Having not done any railway modelling for several years, and then starting again in N, I've ended up having no idea who's been producing what in recent years. I'll be after a couple of Bachmann 37s to replace my old Lima models, although I've been told they can be hard to find now. I looked up the hoppers and yes, as you said, they ran into the 80s. I'm thinking a short rake of 5-6 would look nice on a small layout where a emphasis would be on shunting. Alan

Hi Mike... .. yes I did enjoy the 37s.... and was about to ask how much stock you have hiding in that fiddle yard; when you mentioned a friend had been around playing trains. I'm looking at buying new 37s so was wondering what make the pair are? Also the cov hops behind the 4F look like a very nice wagon- the sort of thing I'd like to run on a 1980s 00 layout - if I could find a reason for them. I'll have to check how long they survived in traffic. Alan

Hi Peter Thanks for that lengthy and very informative reply. I get confused about what happened with 00 after the demise of Lima.... their old models re-surfacing under new names. For many years I didn't do any railway modelling, then started again in N so was only vaguely aware the latest developments in 00. I've seen Bachmann and other 37s on e bay - not cheap. Thanks to your post I now know what to look out for. The Bachmann ones look good- if I can find them. It was the Hornby/ex Lima locos that confused me! As you said they could provide a cheaper alternative but ultimately with a poorer quality body. I've got to accept the fact that running any older stock now requires a lot of detailing work and improvements to bring them up to the standard of what is available today out of the box RTR. Severn Tunnel Jct... always very frustrating - going past at full speed with no time to write down all the numbers! They were great trips for getting ticks in the book. Sadly that was the priority back then so I hardly took any photographs. IIRC is it Keir Hardy that has Wibbdenshaw? A fantastic layout which I first saw in MRJ?? then made a special trip to see it at the Halifax Exhibition. I wasn't disappointed - pure late 70s west Yorkshire nostalgia. Thanks again for your help with the 37s... next it's 31s. I'll have a look back through Llanbourne and see what you're running. Not a favourite class of mine but, along with the split box 37s, necessary for any north east layout c1978-1990. Cheers Alan

Do you remember the news reports a few months ago about all the moon rock that's gone missing? Now we know..... it's been eaten...

Hi Peter Once again, nice photos. Interesting to see 37 284 with the grill mesh still fitted over the louvres. Don't ever remember seeing the sheep! - must have been a Welsh thing...CF or LE? The Welsh 37s were very rare in the north east and Yorkshire at that time. While I was working in Manchester I'd go down to South Wales to get a few more ticks in my Platform 5. There was a Euston service left Piccadilly at 00.30. York-Shrewsbury TPO Stockport-Crewe, then Crewe-Cardiff TPO. Full day South Wales, then a 33 back up the Crewe.... and home to Manchester - all on a day return! Is that the new-ish Hornby 37,and would it have the same mechanism as their split box model? Hope you don't mind me asking such basic questions. I'm completely ignorant of the latest manufacturers developments of the Class 37, so it's knowing what to look out for especially if I buy 2nd hand. It's 15 years since I did any 00 modelling and way back then we used to graft old 1970s style Hornby bodies onto Lima chassis. However, having got them out of their boxes again, the Lima 37s are the worst runners so I've got to look at buying a few replacements. Problem... Lima 37 1990s £19.99. Hornby 2014 about £95-100...though for a far better looking model. Regards Alan

Hi Jeff About the cat t shirts - I know nothing about the company and definitely don't moonlight as a sales rep for them.... but here's the site. Unfortunately it's in the US. Here's a link - www.snorgtees.com Alan

Hello ben pez Welcome to the S&C section with Ais Gill. I saw your layout in the main section yesterday and wondered if you'd thought about joining us here! I gave your photos a "like" especially the work on the signal box and the bridge stonework. Alan

Hi locoholic Wish I could help with the name of the viaduct.. I have this photo and on my original slide I'd called it Sleekburn Viaduct. IIRC there are two similar viaducts in the area, and if this is the same location as your photo (River Blyth) it's not the Sleekburn...!... and I've given my photo the wrong title. So I'd also be interested to know its official name. and without going off topic- that does look like 56 on the bridge.... Alan

No, you won't have seen it... it's dead.... or maybe not...... A

Hello Rob More excellent photos. I do like the car flats... always a good decision to batch build once you know you're going to need more than one! Can I assume they're built from redundant Mk1s? If they are - seeing yours made me wish I built a few, rather than parting with my old coaching stock for peanuts a few years ago. Without doing an internet search, I was wondering if the crewbus kit was still available? Cheers Alan

Hi Peter Mossend... surely not! I also liked the 81s and 85s, I suppose because they were older and there weren't so many of them around. IIRC they used to make an amazing amount of noise when starting. Like Dave I was also lucky enough to have them for haulage over Shap and Beatock. My final 81 was over Beatock and it was interesting to watch the old loco struggle with 12 coaches on Euston - Glasgow. She'd been pressed into service at Carlisle to replace a failed 86. Hope it's ok... time for a couple of photos... 85038 Carlisle 1988 Something seasonal. Carstairs 1990. IIRC this was one of their last duties - double heading on heavy freights, usually steel. Almost missed the 82s-84s. I caught a few a Crewe before they became extinct and remember the 83s? at Euston on ECS. ....so is it going to be (part of) Mossend yard? It's the only location I can think of that would bring 85s, 26s and 08s together... the wagons would also be a fairly typical collection for Mossend. Cheers Alan

Hi Mike Looks like the grey overcast sky is most popular and I'd be in agreement with that. If you're happy with overcast and are thinking about painting it yourself, using a sponge, soaked in a darker grey and dabbed onto the white/light grey backscene also gives a subtle cloud effect. As Jason said, subtlety is the key to a good, realistic, backscene... it's not the place to start trying to reproduce a Constable or Turner masterpiece.... Cheers Alan

Blue sky...Dent....surely some mistake... The overcast sky looks fantastic but might be a bit depressing to have as a backscene everyday. I'm not sure how these photo scenes work... would it be possible (and not too expensive) to have two and rig up some easy way of changing them to suit? Alan

Hi Jeff You might have mentioned him before. I couldn't remember the name but thought he looked familiar.... IIRC he was in the first series of " I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here ". A

Hi Mike More great photos... especially the blue 40 in the earlier shots and the 2P pulling into the platform on the all stations stopper. Re the Merchant Navy - a bit early for Dent, - did one run over the line during the post nationalisation exchange trials? I'm a fan of anything in blue through to the end of the BR sectors... it's what I remember before privatisation took hold. However I do like 1966-68 end of steam/green diesel period. Run down, dirty steam locos, rakes of maroon stock with blue and grey coaches starting to appear, and the wide variety of diesel classes to be seen. Suprising how many people don't like the blue era, thinking it's boring with everything the same colour. I've always thought the rebranding of the corporate image worked well for the 60s and 70s. Large logo, Intercity, NSE, Railfreight etc were all positive developments for the 80s and 90s. Definitely better than the multi-coloured branding and constant re-branding that goes on today. Alan

Hi Rob This layout just keeps getting better. The 37 and Mk1s at the higher level with the photographic backscene works perfectly. I'm also a big fan of the disused track running beyond the buffers and remember a similar idea on Acacia Avenue. Definitely an opportunity for a future extension... ... maybe a small coal yard with 16t minerals or a below track discharge system and couple of air braked HBAs? Cheers Alan

Hello Dave I've been looking again at what I have on WHL freight. An old DVD - Rail Freight Today 3 covers Scotland. I think it dates from the mid 90s and has some good footage taken on the line and inside the Alcan and Corpach factories. Loading arrangements at Alcan (overhead crane) would mean aluminium only being carried on freightliner flats or open wagons. OBAs would be another a possibility, though I've never seen this. Would they be strong enough to carry the ingots? Although, as mentioned, no problem with OCAs. It was interesting to see the freightliner wagons buckle and flex when the aluminium was loaded. Looking at the size of the paper rolls, they could have been carried in VAA/VDAs or VGAs. One roll in a VDA, possibly two in a VGA, side loaded by large forklift? The cargowagons remain a mystery - paper from Corpach is a possibility although, during the late 1990s, they appeared on the line at the same time as paper was being carried, sheeted, on freightliner flats. One possibility might have been a short term contract to deliver paper? Alan

One thing I did find out from reading through 1959 Trains Illustrateds- I picked up a very tatty bound set really cheaply- was that the Metrovick Co-Bos were run in from Middlesbrough to Newcastle via Sunderland and back on eight-coach trains said to be "Mark 1 stock". They also worked a Middlesbrough- Harrogate-Leeds-York-Middlesbrough turn, presumably with the same stock. I'd not really realised they were built at Stockton. I'd sold my Metrovick when planning this layout- I'll not replace it with another kit as there wasn't really enough room inside to chip it. If an r-t-r version appears then I have an excuse for buying one..... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hi Les I forgot to mention the Co Bos... There's a really good photo of one heading south through East Boldon in September 1958 - D5702. This is in David Allens "Diesels in the North Eas"t The stock appears to be everything except Mk 1s !... a real mix. However, you'd probably need to extend your fiddle yard to fit this one in. It's described as a 13 coach test train. I'd also forgotten they were built at Stockton. Cheers Alan

Ok - one more of 40 012 Not a good quality shot, but something different. This was one of a series of diversions through Manchester Piccadilly on March 1st 1983, and the only one hauled by a Class 40. Unfortunately I didn't make any notes about which services were being diverted. 40 012 with 86 243

Having general interest in the line, I'd also be curious to know what was carried in these wagons. Having had a quick look through a few books, the only possible help I can offer is the following.... The final photo in "Freight Only Vol 3 - Wales and Scotland" shows 37412 heading north into Dumbarton in 1988. Behind the loco are 4xVAA/VDA then part of an OAA/OBA is in view. The rest of the train is out of shot. The caption reads.." Normally 7Y41 conveys empty timber wagons to Arrochar but on this occasion the only traffic was government stores to Glen Douglas" However, I've seen plenty of photos with VAA/VDAs on trains much further north so doubt if this was the only traffic carried in these vans? Were there occasions when vans to/from Glen Douglas would be tripped via Fort William? Regards Alan

Throughout the 1950s and early 60s weekend diversions off the Durham coast line could be diverted at Ryhope Grange, south of Sunderland, to climb the 1/37 Seaton Bank. Travelling south they ran via Murton, Haswell, Wellfield and Castle Eden before descending Heseldene Bank to re-join the coast route at Hart, just north of Hartlepool. Because of the 1/37 climb, trains were piloted up to Haswell where the loco was detached. Until 1959/60 Sunderland South Dock provided the pilot locos. Typical pairings were A4s, A3s, A2s etc piloted by A8s and V1/3s. Somewhere, however, there is a published photo of a G5 piloting an A4...! IIRC the train is passing the remains of Seaton Station, about half way up the bank. I'm not sure why the G5 was used, or how much help it was able to provide. Alan

Another one bites the dust... 40 080 at Doncaster in 1984..... nice lupins

Hi Mike The granary looks good to me. Scribing the stonework always beats using embossed plasticard.. I'm just too lazy to do it! I'm not sure if you said the building was going to be in use or possibly partly derelict like the photos? If so, and there are areas of stone work you're not so happy about - what about a small area covered with ivy or similar vegetation to hide it? Alan

Class 40s were always far too common to be worth photographing. Deltics and Peaks with their regimental names were far more interesting.... with hindsight a big mistake... However, here are a couple from 1981... 40 111 withdrawn at York. The photos were taken in May and June. 40 074 at York on the 29th August. Someone might have more accurate information -- this might have been 55 007s last mainline outing? The Deltic had set out light engine for Doncaster earlier in the day and had failed on route. York sent 074 to drag her back home. IIRC Pinza was withdrawn at York very soon afterwards? Alan

Yes looks like you're in luck...another mostly dry week ahead. Reminds me I need to get out for some exercise. Haven't had the walking boots on since we came back from Scotland at the beginning of October. Looking at you garden.. I was wondering if you had any worries about transplanting at this time of year rather than waiting until spring? Alan