mclong

The Adams radial at the Bluebell is not in either of the liveries on the Hornby M7s. It is in Adams pea green livery 1887-95, but has some later modifications. The cab roof , coal rails on the bunker , taller water filler and lack of balance beams between the driving wheels were modifications by Drummond , also a mechanical lubricator between the frames possibly fitted by the Bluebell. So preserved locos usually are not perfect representations of a past period .

488 is a strange choice for a Southern Railway loco as it only ran from 1946 on the Southern as it was on the East Kent Railway before then. I presume they know it was numbered 3488. I would rather see one in Maunsell lined green than unlined black or any lswr livery , hopefully these will come later.

Baldrics are present and correct , they are the crossed diagonal straps as painted red on camel quay morris .

The latest OXFORD RAIL announcement confirms they will be producing wagons and coaches. Also the ADAMS RADIAL can be made in all versions from 1880s through to todays preserved loco. They plan to make some models that have been produced before and need updating.

Three T9s in W H SMITHs HEREFORD today, unusually with black splashers !

:scratchhead:Today this rhyme has appeared " His past is hidden from me now. But be quite clear I make this vow. To find the truth of why he went. Those buried thoughts that he has sent." Not very informative.

It looks like an LSWR road van SR D1541 , the most numerous LSWR Brakevan and ideal to go behind O2 or well tank. I will order a few.

The picture is close up and shows the van is supported on piles of bricks 3 piles per side . The van looks to be in good condition, possibly freshly painted . Photo taken in 1950, also shows hoop top fencing in the foreground. One correction to my last post, van was grounded in 1913 not 1919. There is also a distant photo of one of these vans involved in an accident at Sevenoaks 1884.

In Mike King's Southern wagons pictorial page 138/9 shows the other side of the van complete with sliding door .It states that it is one four supplied to the SER by Metropolitan RCW Co in 1878. Grounded in 1919.

Vertical planks on the ends is not unusual in fact it was standard on the GREAT CENTRAL, the LMS and LNER had several designs. The planks would overhang the headstock and would be screwed to it. Why would anybody go to the bother of repositioning the strapping .Also the planks on the end fit perfectly, it would be difficult to get planks of the exact width. Apart from the door this van was built like this. Does anyone know when it when it appeared in the yard ,if it was pre 1923 it could only be of SECR origin. post 1947 it could come from any railway in the country.

I am not entirely sure this was a L.B.S.C.R van . Vertical planking on the end is not a brighton feature and the vertical strapping on the sides should be mid way between the door and the end. This could be an ex SER van from a batch built by an outside builder .