TrevorP1

John, if you find yourself near Beck Hole at the end of next week do not return to Australia with visiting The Birch Hall Inn - although I realise you are on a ‘schedule’ and their hours are a bit restrictive. I can thoroughly recommend the own brew, ‘Beckwatter’. No connection, just a very happy customer!

“The joy of going somewhere that’s still so far away”. Chris Rea, from ‘Gone Fishing’. (Not that I’ve been fishing since I was about 12! 🙂).

I was about to type pretty much the same as burgundy. I am absolutely no artist but perhaps making the reds and blues a bit paler might help? Red tends to stand out any case, also I believe there is something similar about blue - the reason it is used by the emergency services. Room lighting also has bearing... Of course I could be talking absolute nonsense! Good luck anyway - watching with interest.

Seeing the discussion here about lettering and so on, I was wondering if there are any opinions about the shade of crimson on the CLC versions. There have been so many versions of this over the years , none of which - in my option - are correct. This makes it a right pain if you want to build the 'missing' BCK or a tavern car pair. Sorry to ask but, other than photos, I've yet to see any of the new Bachman Bulleids in CLC livery.

Caption not needed...

Fascinating - and educating - stuff! Excellent. Looking forward to more.

Nothing to do with chalked markings but regarding local railway ‘lore’. As a lad I was often on Eastleigh station where there was a grandstand view of the goings on in the marshalling yard. The shunters would go about their business splitting trains and in doing so would give various signals to the driver of the 350. A couple of the hand signals could be worked out - and I later knew these were in the rule book. There were others though… Some are almost beyond description but there was one I remembered which looked like the chap was standing on one leg and slapping his own backside whilst waving his shunters pole vigorously. I took this to be ‘give the trucks a good shove’ or in railway parlance “Hit ‘em up!”. Decades (!) passed and I forgot all about this until one day a few years back I was chatting to one of the Ropley station staff (a smashing bloke called, I think, Dave Chipperfield) who let on that he had started on a career on BR as a shunter at Eastleigh. Then I remembered the men I had seen. I acted out the strange ‘dance’. Instead of laughing, straight away he said “Number xxxx road! That would tell the driver and the bloke in the yard box.”. Dave then proceeded to demonstrate another dozen unofficial signals. I tried to generate interest in getting an oral history organised but I fear those involved thought my description of a man jumping around on one leg in the middle of a busy goods yard was some kind of wind up…

My first B4 was replaced due to the front crank pin coming loose and jamming on the crosshead. It happened quite suddenly and threw the quartering out causing further mechanical mayhem. Worth checking that area for sure. The loco was replaced very quickly and without quibble my KMRC and the second one runs beautifully.

Chuffed (sorry) to bits with this little thing. I can see me building a micro to give it a proper home. (And now there will be a Manning Wardle and an S160 to find homes for, two other engines I didn't know I wanted...).

These Lions get everywhere. Rapido's version about to be hoisted on board a ship bound for America - hope they send it back in time to become a movie star! Goodness knows what I'm going to do with this but it's a smashing little model. All I've done so far is fit a chip. A crew and real coal needed, then... maybe another micro...?

There's alway the Isle of Raasay Railway. I had a quick look when we were up there a couple of years ago but the weather conditions made lunch at Raasay House and a visit to the gin distillery far more attractive propositions!

Sounds like you’re nearly as cynical as me!

I’ve been known to raid a kitchen cupboard for cans of soup and so on…

Some months (!) since my last post but it's been a busy year which began with thoughts of a house move (not happening now!) then lots of summer activity and travel, followed by a series of 'irritants' not conducive to any sustained modelling activity. About time then for some photos of things that have been done. Firstly, progress on the fruit warehouse. Weathering on the B4 is by Steve at Grimey Times in Warrington and the name on the building is a 'to order' transfer from Scale Model Scenery in Cornwall. In case anyone is wondering Bill Pothercary was the greengrocer at the end of the road where I grew up. He lives on! The B4 shunts across the road into Pothercary's warehouse. This reminds me a bit of the scene outside the old Royal Pier, so a bit of fun in black and white. The van on the right is a Dapol body on a Red Panda chassis. A crew, shunter and a few spectators would improve the scene. Lastly a troop train (?) waits to leave. Again loco weathered by Grimey Times and a light dusting on the coach by TMC. (I'll happily daub a defenceless wagon but I draw the line at expensive things! ) The T9 was a secondhand purchase from Rails - 'needing work' but a runner and DCC fitted. It did indeed run well but what had happened to the steps and various other fittings I can't imagine, plus Hornby fitting the injectors back to front... Lot's of TLC later it runs and looks well, now in need of a crew.

My 1930's Lion arrived today. I didn't 'need', I've no idea what I'm going to do with it* but what a smashing little model! As I type it's running on the rolling road in front of me. Dead smooth out of the box. Connecting the tender for the first time took some nerve and I'm not looking forward to removing tender body to fit a chip but I'm sure it'll be fine. Well done all at Rapido! * But I will find something, it's too good to waste in display case...

Never ever go to Bridgwater Services. Monsters be there. As for where the badlands start, some would say anywhere east of Delabole!

That rings a bell but I’ve also no recollection of the whys and wherefores.

Cynical = Realistic/truthful! 🙂

I’ve recently resurrected a couple of Hornby T9s that had seen better days. I find there’s a great deal of satisfaction in making an abandoned model work properly again.

Must admit I did see it as a kind of challenge and I doubt I’d do another one. But it’s a way to go if you like that kind of task and not really that difficult. No matter, I expect there’ll be an Irish one along soon….

Food for thought. I need to sort something out. Thank you.

How do you get on getting the locos out? I'd be worried that I'd damage something. A good idea though.

The County tender is 6" wider than the standard Hawksworth one. I've no idea which Hornby model mine came from. The manhole, pick-up dome and other odds are salvaged from the one I cut in half. The 'drain covers' are hand wheels from a fret of such items. The bottom of the coal space is a bodge but it's buried under coal! I *think* the chimney is a Gibson one, as are the buffers, lance cock and washout plugs. I'm afraid I 'copped out' on the mud door covers. Ejector etc salvaged from the Hornby body. The firebox swop really isn't that hard if you can find a dead Hornby 8F and are patient.

They're nice looking ground signals Nick. What is their origin?

Here we go... No claims for 100% accuracy but an improvement I think and it was fun to do. Also a couple of photos of the tender. I couldn't live with the relatively crude original so a found a secondhand Hawksworth one and widened it as shown. I think there is an etched kit but this way was much cheaper and quicker.