Bernard Lamb

For me it shows that the the Clans were a much neater design and so much better proportioned than the Brits. That will get me in to trouble in some quarters. Bernard

Going from my experience with the 26 Heljan supply a standard sprue of discs. There wern't enough with the 26 for my requirements and the same seems to be the case with the 15. Shawplan are thinner and do provide a better front end appearance, even if a bit more of a fiddle to paint and fit. Bernard

Musing about a possible use for one of these I have been doing a bit of reading up on the subject. It needs a pair of steam type shed code plates and OHE flashes came in before the SYP. Can any one give me chapter and verse on the situation re numbers on the ends? First you see 'em, well not quite at first, then you don't and then they stage a comeback. HELP! Bernard

Have you tried here? http://www.howesmodels.co.uk/Railways/viewProducts.php?CatID=19 Bernard

Brilliant. That's a good shot of Plashetts. It shows clearly how the water tower was attached to the station building and the remains of the wall left in a partly demolished state. It's just about the best detail shot that I have seen of this not often photographed staion. Bernard

That makes sense. A proposed station building in 1899 has to be a replacement for the original that was built just before 1870 when the line opened. That ties in with the engine shed being on the plan and this was built a couple of years after the branch opened. Now all we need is somebody to come up with a drawing of the original. I reckon photos of this would be rather rare. Bernard

Now what date are we talking about here? It shows the engine shed but dates I have give station opened 1870 and engine shed 1872. Was there an earlier building? Burnt down? Bernard

Agreed. But what has that to do with the price of fish? This topic is not a about a wishlist but more of a pragmatic approach to get an RTR loco manufactured. As such I and I am sure several others, have set aside any personal wishes and voted for what we think is a viable model and for which a good case can be presented. In the case of 103 I think the boiler would almost certainly not meet the current standards. Bernard

It was me and you corrected me on the exact type of van. Totally OT but the wagon turntable at Snape, an example more familiar to me, was very short so your reasoning seems to me to be quite logical. Bernard

The line to the right is actually two short sidings at the end of the platform. Nothing to do with the Jedburgh line as far as I can see from the track plan. Those 'unfitted' vans look more like perishable vans to my eyes. The corn mill was reached via a wagon turntable the route branching out into two short sidings. Bernard

Identity of the A4? I would put my money on Merlin. A regular on the route and the dirty condition would be typical. Bernard

It closed in 1981, but I don't know how active it was in the last few years. Bernard

I would have thought that this is a similar case to the one some time ago with the Bachmann A1. A problem is found. The manufacturer gives a cut of date before which he will provide remedial action. Other owners who do not take up the offer are left in limbo. However as the goods are clearly not of marketable quality they must insist that the retailer gives them a full refund. It has to be a refund as a repair is no longer possible, unless you are prepared to negotiate re accepting a remotoring by a suitably qualified independent party. The owner is then free to buy a new version from the latest batch. How the retailer gets his money back from Heljan is of no concern to the purchaser. I think that it is a bit unfair to have a go at Heljan as they seem to have been very open and honest about the problem. Bernard

The storage tanks for the tar were probably built at the correct height for the tar to be loaded into the rectangular tanks. A round tank with a higher filling point would probably have been impossible to load by gravity feed. Seems as plausible a reason as any. Ther's usually a very simply answer why old habits survive well past there sell by date. Bernard

I was on the phone yesterday to one of the major box shifters and I can assure you that they are in the same situation as regards supplies from Bachmann. I got the impression that I was not the only person who was asking when they would get their orders despatched. Strange indeed when some of the items are advertised as being in stock by other dealers. Bernard

Any one tried using the search button? They crop up at regular intervals. First time I saw them was on the Hatchette Scotsman building thread and very good they looked. Bernard

Re my last post. http://www.railbrit.co.uk/Plashetts_Colliery_Waggonway/frame.htm Bernard

There was also some narrow gauge track at Plashetts on the Border Counties Railway connecting one of the mines with the station. Probably under the water these days if any thing survives. The use of such connecting tracks does seem to be fairly common. Bernard

Not to mention the gas works and more importantly the whisky. Bernard

Hi Chard. It's like a drug. Quite addictive. The caption on one of the Sept 67 photos states thrice weekly. Bernard

The old old story. When will people take in the fact that just because a drawing depicts a certain dimension or feature it does not mean that this detail was ever used in production. In some cases the surviving official drawings were made after the batch was built. Look at a selection of NER locos drawings, then compare them with photographs and you will see what I mean. How often must the old adage be repeated. Use a dated photograph. Rant over. Bernard

First number is an eight! Some branches tended to use the same loco on a regular basis. I don't know if that was the case with Langholm. The loco used for the August 1967 'official last train' did have a SYP. Is it that loco or another seems to be the question? Havn't been able to decipher the number on that one either although there are several photos of that particular working about. Bernard

I don't think we have had this one yet. http://www.railbrit.co.uk/imageenlarge/imagecomplete.php?id=23018 Bernard

This is another site that is hard to navigate around. Well for me at least. They have an excellent collection of maps. It should be possible to view large scale maps and to view the same section of map as at different dates. I did this for the Balerno branch once but cannot remember exactly where to find the maps or how to do it. It's worth a look as it does make finding the locations of old photographs a lot easier. Bernard

That's a very old fashioned method of going about it. They have camera stands and foam file holders. You can photograph as many pages as you like without a charge. If you ask for a seat near a camera stand you can set up your camera and leave it in position while you search and then copy what you need in batches. Digital photography makes life much easier. The staff are very good and will help you to find the best seat. No flash allowed of course so get a seat near the windows. No pens allowed, only a pencil. No note books, only loose pages. You can take a lap top so you can down load your photos to check that you have every thing you are after in the can before you leave. Restaurant is good for lunch and has free wireless connection available. Bernard Bernard