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Hi Les.... re the above post... If only we had a time machine...! I think some of the answers might also be found in the collections of local photographers like Ian Carr and Ken Hoole. It seems that the more you look at the evidence, the more complicated it becomes. Apart from having fun operating the layout, the most important thing, which you mentioned, is that Hawthorne runs with local coal traffic well represented without worrying too much where it comes from and where it's going to However here are a few more details. I have a copy of BR Eastern Region Freight train loads book for 1967. This is for diesel workings only but does give an insight into local freight flows. 1) There is an entry for freight from Hartlepool to Sunderland "via Horden" and return. Like most entries the only info is on the number of wagons to be conveyed by various diesel classes not the type of traffic being conveyed. 2)Local collieries - all mentioned by name - so obviously coal! Virtually every colliery as far north as Seaham/Dawdon (and Hawthorn on the inland line) have an entry for workings to/from "Billingham or Wilton ICI" No other destination is given for this coal. Interestingly coal from Shotton, Thornley, Trimdon and also again, supprisingly, Hawthorn is shown as going to Tees which probably explains the frequency of 37s on these workings. Coxhoe, Hart and also Trimdon sent coal to Hartlepool. For whatever reason, no workings are shown going north to Sunderland or beyond from any local colliery. Possibly because they were steam worked from South Dock ?? Sorry all the above doesn't answer all your questions and isn't directly related to Hawthorn and the coast line. Also only relevant to 1967. These can only be the main traffic flows and I'm sure there will have been plenty of variations. Cheers Alan

Love the photo looking across the roof tops towards the station... Cheers Alan

Hi Jeff I can't believe the amount of building work you're doing in the garden. Are you keeping a running total of bricks laid and the weight of concrete mixed? Just think of the money you could have saved if you'd built the house as well ... Cheers Alan

A last look at Loadlaul livery with a selection of photos taken between 1997 and 2003 Tyne Yard 1997 Kirkby Stephen 1997 Tyne Yard 1999. Couldn't resist another shot of 109 looking very rough. Wonder where the cab door came from?..! Tees Yard 2000. Hexham 2001 56027 at Carlisle 2002. Can't remember if this loco ran for a while with the Loadhaul branding on one side only? Carlisle 2003

Jeff.. Thought I'd introduce them to KL2... so here they are - Now officially classed as a rare bread - the Giant Hornby Blackface, in their traditional habitat, grazing the n gauge fell side. Hopefully I'll be able to rustle up a suitable, green liveried, Class 40 and some out of gauge cattle trucks to get them to Kirkby Luneside! Cheers Alan

Had to agree with Gwiwer ... the cameo around the grounded 12t van looks really good. There's always so much excellent modelling work on show, even without the trains. Although I know it isn't portable, I often wish Llanbourne was on the exhibition circuit here in England. Any idea about transportation costs.... :) Regards Alan

Hi Brian and Les Brian - your post jogged my memory and what you said would be correct. Workings to the coast line collieries and the line via Heselden Bank/Haswell/South Hetton were both split between Hartlepool and Sunderland South Dock locomotives. As a general rule South Dock probably used steam for longer ... to the very end, in the case of Silksworth and Ryhope collieries, while Hartlepool/Thornaby started to use 37s much earlier. Inland the cut off was Shotton and there's a nice photo o of a 37 from Hartlepool in the exchange sidings in Past and Present North East Vol 4. One of my memories is of 37s working the branch to Wheatley and Thornley collieries (mid 60s) and my disappointment that it was never steam. Starting to reminisce and going off topic! Les... for something completely different - have you seen Ian Carrs' photo of the royal train behind a Class 40 at Horden in 1963? (Ian Allen Diesels on the Eastern) Although the caption doesn't mention it, I think the visit might have been something to do with Peterlee?? Regards Alan

Hi Les That's a great variety in the fiddle yard - and who's to say that at some time in the late 1950s and 1960s those trains didn't run along the coast. I lived next to the line for several years, late 80s-90s and during that time I saw an incredible variety of trains. However, the day to day reality was an hourly passenger service, mostly 142s-143s and 156s and a steady flow (until 1995) of 56s on coal trains. For extra variety - you might have seen photos of the Newcastle -York parcels behind a Peak? ...A possible replacement for your ailing V2s. Amazing variety of vans on those trains. I also have a copy of an article which mentions ,at certain times of the year, regular weekend excursions to Newcastle from Manchester/Derby and Sheffield during the early 60s. Some ran via Washington, others via the coast. Haulage was either a Black 5 or a Jubilee. Alan

Hello Les I've continued to follow Hawthorn Dene and thought it was time to say hello again. Congratulations with the exhibition invites and hopefully if Hawthorn comes further north I'll get to see it. As I mentioned many pages ago I've always been interested in the Durham Coast Line and the "inland" route via Haswell and Castle Eden. I've been looking around as well as trying to remember any info which might help re freights via the coast/covhops etc. What freight info I have been able to find, shows virtually all freight going north out of Teesside via Bowesfield-Stillington-Ferryhill. The covhops to Hartlepool (as mentioned) also going that way. The vast majority of traffic via the coast seems to have been coal originating from local collieries?? However one photo I have shows a possibility for the wagons used at Hawthorn quarry... it's a copy I picked up at an exhibition (possibly Armstrong Collection?) It shows a B1 on a passenger train, probably late 50s, passing through Blackhall Station. In an overgrown siding next to the main line are two ex LNER 13t coal hoppers. I looked up a brief history of this type in Larkins BR wagons 1968-73.... It said that under BR they saw only brief use carrying coal, but being a useful wagon, saw many more years service carrying iron ore and stone. Not sure why two should be at Blackhall... but maybe a possible link with Hawthorn Quarry? Also enjoyed seeing more of your old photographs of the area - thanks for posting them. Regards Alan

......and what about the famous "pig special" derailment on the Tralee & Dingle in 1893 when over 90 pigs were killed. There were survivors - as the Irish Times Reported... "UNINJURED PIGS REACH CORK" "A consignment of six uninjured pigs, survivors of the dread crash at Camp on Monday, were today received in the Cork Bacon Factory of Messrs. Lunhams. A spokesman said they had all escaped injury." Irish Times 26th May 1893 from The Irish narrow Gauge Railway by J Prideaux. Alan

image by AP474, on Flickr I do really love Thornaby 37/5s, especially these two beasts, lovely! Hi Grimleygrd Nice to see 501 and 502 on Boxenby The Thornaby 37/5s were one of my favourite sub classes too. Class 60s always looked at their best with black diamonds ! It's always interesting to watch progress on Boxenby. Work on the layout seems to be a real labour of love -the attention to detail, like the installation of inspection pit lights. Regards Alan

Part 5 More photos from the late 90s Mostly Loadhaul and Transrail. By this time it was nice to see 56s on a wider variety of workings in the north east away from traditional mgr traffic. Carlin How Viaduct 1997 Stenson Junction 1997 Tees Yard. Making up the return Hardendale Quarry empties. 1998 Near Redmarshall on the freight only Ferryhill- Norton East Junction line. 1998 Transrail?? An interesting one to reproduce as a model! South Bank 1998 South Bank. 1998 Newcastle 1998 Tees Yard 1998 Rock salt and potash from Boulby Grangetown. Rock salt empties for Boulby 1998 Near Kirby Thore S&C Gypsum 1998 Tyne Yard 1999. Passing Tyne Yard with aluminium from Lynemouth. 1999 South Bank again. Possibly a lightly loaded Freightliner from Wilton? 1999

Hi Richard Many thanks for the information...and the quick reply. Strangely I hadn't thought of cassettes and may have missed that info in one of your earlier posts. I'm looking at fiddle yards and ideas for operating very small layouts ... cassettes v traverser or, the least space friendly option - a fan of sidings with all the associated pointwork. I know some people don't like the idea of the shunting taking place via the fiddle yard but that wouldn't be a problem for me. Retaining tension locks at the fiddle yard end will also be a big help with operating. Cheers Alan

Hello Mudmagnet Looking again at Acacia Avenue I was wondering how you operate the layout at exhibitions. Given the trackplan on the scenic part of the layout I realise how important the fiddle yard area is with regard to the operation of the layout. Does stock almost always remain on the scenic section with the fiddle yard being used only for loco storage and as a "sort of" headshunt? I was wondering if you had a couple of photos of the fiddle yard taken while operating the layout? Regards Alan

Good video - excellent slow speed running. The AJs look very neat. I've always used KDees which I think look ok on modern stock but those AJs are very unobtrusive, Are you keeping the 56 in the grey livery or giving it a re-spray? Out of curiosity I checked and it carried that livery around 1988-9. Might have received it as early as 87 as it was one of the first, of the later (Gateshead) batch, to loose the large logo livery. Now what this layout needs is a railfreight liveried Class 26 Cheers Alan

Hi Peter Here's the terminal at Ft William in 1990. The pipework running centrally seems to consist of 3 larger pipes with various connection points to discharge the TTAs and 1 smaller diameter pipe. To the left of the tracks nearer the entrance is a very complicated piece of pipework. The small shed probably contained control equipment and switches for the lighting etc. Thanks for the information about the figures... would never have guessed Bachmann. Alan

Hello GBMRG I,ve had a quick look through my photos but only two number visible so far.... This is the same van as seen in the earlier (Speedlink livery) shot. Before conversion ZTR954552 later RAR B954552. 1986 Same van as ZTR at South Dock. 1986 B955014 Another shot of the van shown earlier attached to the Petrofina. 1991

Hi Peter Yet more excellent photographs...and the two previous posts ask the same question I was going to - who produces the figures, especially interested in the one seated on the platform - excellent quality and a totally realistic pose. Also,I might have missed this - are you modelling the small oil terminal on any particular location? EDIT Have re-read the last couple of pages (carefully) and see it's Fort William you're thinking about. That was the one which came to my mind when I first saw the two short sidings filled with TTAs. Might have some photos somewhere, although they'd be dating from the 1990s. Cheers Alan

Hi Andy Sorry I'm no expert when it comes to Bitton but I do keep looking in to see how things are progressing. However, it's funny how places which once meant nothing on a railway map or in a magazine article suddenly jump out of the pages... I was browsing through an article about the railways in wartime around Bristol and Bath and Bitton was mentioned as one of the locations where stock was dispersed to and stored at the time of the Baedeker air raids on Britains' cultural centres.... For now this gem of information will have to be my total contribution to the Bitton project. Enjoy you holiday Cheers Alan

Congratulations on your imminent retirement.... and of course I'm not jealous.... I'm now at the age where the years are going by quickly enough, yet sadly when it comes to work I end up wishing my life away to escape. What is it about modern management that seems hell bent on making the job as unpleasant as possible??? Just when you think you'll be allowed to get on with the job - and enjoy doing it, they're up to their old tricks again. So once again I'm reaching for the calculator, thinking about pension forecasts and trying to plan an escape route.... Alan

Sunderland South Dock 1993 RAR used on the the Petrofina service. RAR used at Seaham Colliery. South Dock 1993

Hi Peter Two more nice sets of photos. Good to 40012 in action. She was the last 40 I saw on a passenger working. Hope you don't mind me including the photo. It's a copy of a 6x4 print so the quality isn't too good. The date is late 1984 and 40012 was attached at York to work through to Scarborough. Can't remember where the train originated... Liverpool or maybe Bangor? Looking again at 40012 on Llanbourne and the photo, it looks like you've got the bodyside grime just about right! Cheers Alan

Kellys Heros. Great film - very funny Donald Sutherland (Oddball)....the hippy tank driver

The old tree looks perfect in that location. You certainly couldn't model something as realistic as that. The secret is to be able to recognise something which will scale down well to 4mm. Reminds me of an article in Railway Modeller many years ago... how to make trees from dried yarrow. Alan

I'd always assumed work starts on the bunker starts tomorrow...... ....... same as my local pubs offer of free beer......