checkrail

I agree. Mine already goes part way with that idea - it's the original body & roof with Keen Systems ends & gangways and underframe & bogies from a new, i.e. 2016> Hornby Collett, plus some Comet gas cylinders and new, discontnuous footboards. It's almost a shame to change it, and I know my lettering & insignia won't be anything like as good as Hornby's! On the other hand I'll only have single waist lining to do. Your photo reminds me how little there is below the cantrail for the new sides to adhere to. It's those big windows. John C.

What a lifeline these hobbies are in lockdown times, as noted in a whimsical 'Times' third leader today (triggered by Hornby's recent sales figures). But my poor wife's hobby has just suffered from water ingress more than mine - they've had to open the sluice gates on the Mersey and flood her allotment, just as she retires. Might even have to buy some vegetables this year.

Went up to the loft yesterday morning to find a strange mushroom cloud over Stoke Courtenay. Water from the current heavy rain seems to have seeped into a purlin and dripped down the plywood backscene where it does a reverse curve to accommodate the chimney breast. My guess is it's the lead flashing. Now waiting for local roof repair man to attend. I'm on a list of jobs he's got! Looked again this morning after a snowy night. Seems to have dried up, with only a tiny amount of moisture in the plastic box I'd put on the loft floor to catch the drips. Could have been so much worse. One or two trees against the backscene are a bit soggy, but otherwise nothing's gone onto the track, the electrics or scenic surfaces. Once the roof's repaired it'll be out with the 'Atlantic Mist' paint again. Now back to the toplights. Some day my buffers will come. John C.

Neat, spacious and above all, capacious.

Have just made a short video of 5557 arriving at Stoke C. with the branch train from Earlsbridge, to demonstrate the 'Brian Kirby' coupling modification in action. It was done in response to @Chris Chewterfollowing recent posts on his lovely 'Tetbury' layout, but perhaps others might be interested. (The footbridge was temporarily removed for clarity.) The next pic shows the section of track which has the magnets underneath the ballast. (The ballast isn't quite as neat as elsewhere so I rather think this might be a location where I installed or re-positioned the magnets after ballasting the track.) John C.

Have you considered the 'Brian Kirby' modification to T/L couplings, effected by adding a horizontal staple to the coupling dropper and installing visually undetectable magnets under the ballast? Plenty of stuff on this forum about it, but here's a short video clip of the system in action as 5557 arrives at Stoke Courtenay from Earlsbridge with the branch B-set. And here's a pic of the section of track under which the magnets are fitted. John C.

The '"year of the coach" has slipped into 2021, with the last items in the programme*, three Slater's toplights, still on the workbench. Work is proceeding but, to paraphrase Hirohito, "not necessarily to Stoke Courtenay's advantage". For some reason I'm finding these much more difficult than previous ones. I've just spent three-quarters of an hour trying to locate and cement the first grab handle (of 44) without success, only for it to finally ping off the tweezers and disappear for ever. Though not before leaving scarring and glue stains on the coach side. Time to do something else and return to them later. * Well, they're not quite the last. As others have said it was disappointing that no further Collett bow-end types featured in Hornby's 2021 plans (though one must admit they've treated us in recent years), so I've just ordered Comet brass sides for a rebuilt H33 restaurant car from Wizard Models. (I cut out and kept the excellent May 2016 article in RM by@westernerof this parish, which will be very useful guidance.) John C.

Very nice work indeed Kevin! An intended 2021 project for me too. Once I've finished several coaches and sundry other jobs, that is. (My mother used to call me the Prince of Procrastination.)

Here's something that arrived just before Christmas - a new Oxford Rail tank wagon. Thought I'd better have one, though I'm not sure how authentic, or otherwise, the livery is. But looks good and makes a nice contrast to the later type of tank wagon as per the Bachman model. As usual with OR wagons there were a couple of modifications required. The couplings are always much too long, leaving about half a wagon length between vehicles (Ok, I exaggerate a bit!). There was no way to shorten them other than to saw the coupling mounting blocks off the underframe and replace with Peco/Parkside versions and short Bachmann TLs. The other thing I don't like is the shiny wheelsets, but as I fished out some Alan Gibsons to replace them a vague memory re-surfaced that this was not as straightforward as it seemed. When I put the Gibsons in, only for them immediately to fall out again, it came back to me. The OR axles are a bit longer than other makes. Easy, I thought, I'll bung the Gibson wheels on the OR axles. Then the second bit came back to me - the OR axles are slimmer, giving the Gibsons a very sloppy fit indeed - the axles hardly touch the inside of the holes. It was solved by holding the wheels and axles in a b-to-b gauge and applying a bit of cyano to the inside where axle goes through wheel. Here's the wagon in a train with the Bachmann tank for comparison. Two nice models giving a bit of variety. John C.

After the excitement and action of the last few scenes here's a quieter moment in the yard as cattle wait to be loaded under the eye of the farmer and his stock man. John C.

Brilliant! All those gorgeous coaches!

TUNNEL VISIONS (10) And just before we drag ourselves away here comes small prairie 4574 returning two NA Toads back towards Hackney Yard. Well, we've had a good day, seen some interesting trains and added a few more numbers to our books. Now we'd better get home in time for tea before our mothers start to wonder where we are. John C.

TUNNEL VISIONS (9) At last another big express loco to add to our tally. 6019 King Henry V heads towards Paddington with a train from Penzance. The leading coach is only a couple of years or so old, being a low-waisted D121 van third built in 1936. Nearly time to go home but we tell ourselves we'll wait for one more train. John C.

TUNNEL VISIONS (8) The action continues as we spot small prairie tank 5557 emerging from the tunnel with a cattle train, although on closer inspection it seems the wagons are empty. John C.

That's great Phil. Given the 30s theme I was wondering whether one of these shots might look good in b & w, and if so which one. Think you've decided it for me. Thanks, John.

TUNNEL VISIONS (7) We don't have to wait too long after that to see another pannier, this time 3603 of the 8750 class, with an up goods consisting mainly of open wagons. The one behind the loco is a steel-sided type, dia. O30. John C.

TUNNEL VISIONS (6) Now we see 2819 about to disappear into the tunnel with its train of empty PO wagons returning to the South Wales coalfields. But keep your pencils at the ready - the down home signal has just dropped again! And it's 5000 Launceston Castle on a down Plymouth express. The second vehicle is an E73 55 foot clerestory compo. John C.

Nice! Thanks Robin. That old Mainline/Bachmann jobbie wasn't at all bad (above the footplate).

TUNNEL VISIONS (5) The parcels is followed by a down local to Plymouth headed by 5975 Winslow Hall, slowing for its scheduled stop at Stoke C. One or two equine passengers on board today perhaps. As it moves out of vision a Penzance - Wolves express appears from behind it heading for the tunnel, with 4018 Knight of the Grand Cross in charge. John C.

TUNNEL VISIONS (4) We don't have to wait too long for another express to appear, this time heading for Paddington, ex-Plymouth, with 5041 Tiverton Castle in charge, and a Siphon G attached. Not long after it disappears out of sight the down home goes 'off' again, and 6801 Aylburton Grange emerges from the tunnel with a down parcels service. Beneath the grime we can see that the Grange has recently received its copper-capped chimney, in place of the cast iron job with which it was originally outshopped. John C.

TUNNEL VISIONS (3) Well, the down home signal's gone to 'off'. What are we going to see next? Wow! It's a King! King Richard I heads west for Penzance, with a couple of recently altered 'Centenary' carriages at the head of the train. John C.

It's a very similar D95 Alastair. Brass sides from an old Blacksmith kit, other bits & bobs from an old PC kit of same dia. More toplights on workbench, awaiting sprung buffers from MRD.

Mogul looking good Robin. Would be interesting to see it next to your 'filthy mogul' for comparison.

TUNNEL VISIONS (2) The next train we spot is a class D goods heading east behind Exeter mogul 6305. John C.

TUNNEL VISIONS (1) In the past some folks have mentioned that they like the tunnel mouth shots, so I'm calling this next sequence 'Tunnel Visions' and am trying something a bit different. Like many of us I often photograph a train at various stages as it traverses the layout and passes through the station limits. But of course that's not how we usually see them in reality. We're usually more or less in a fixed spot watching the trains go by, which when I think about it was the kind of scenario I was aiming for at the outset. So imagine it's summertime in the late 1930s in south Devon, you're off school and have taken a couple of sandwiches and a bottle of lemonade down to the railway track, along with your all-important trainspotting book and pencil. Having scrambled over the farmer's fence (naughty I know) you've positioned yourself to wander up and down between the tunnel mouth and road bridge. Let's see what comes past. First up is 4908 Broome Hall with a Paddington express, including a couple of brake composites .... .... followed some minutes later by 8709 on a pick-up goods heading west. John C.