br2975

Dozen 47s . Dozen't bear thinking about nowadays. . Brian R

RADYR . I'm not sure if 'variety' comes into it, but after some research; here is what I euphamistically term a 'trainplan' for Radyr Yard drawn from the relevant 1971-1972 WTT's. . I have left out the timetabled DMU passenger services BUT have included (i) the football specials to and from Ninian Park Halt, some of which would lay over in the yard during matches, and (ii) parcels and news workings together with their related light engine and ECS movements. . Read through this and wonder where it has all gone in the intervening 40+ years ? . Brian R Radyr Quarry trainplan-1971.xls

Two weeks off ....................... what's that when it's at home ? . Happy Birthday Wayne ! . Anyway, back to making stock boxes from foamboard and Ikea storage boxes. . Brian R

Both locos were/still are preserved, being stored initially at Carnforth (with others e.g. B1 61306) . 46441 was still in an un-authentic livery in recent years. . The Fairburn tank is currently at the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway. . Brian R

Top photos Trev. . Don't think the blue Peak is D60 tho' - no nameplate (Lytham St. Annes) and different headcode boxes. . D90 ? . Got any more, please ? . Brian R

Jonny777 37/4s were rostered to work the Swansea/Cardiff - Bristol leg of Portsmouth Harbour trains for a while during the mid to late 80s. . Brian R

Unfortunately, my settings currently prevent me replying and (i) quoting a previous post, or (ii) cutting and pasting. . Gwiwer states on the previous page that there was a "Summer Saturday Brighton (not Portsmouth) - Cardiff which was an out and back Cl.33 and what I believe was an Oxted set......" . I now have a 1971-1972 WTT which suggests otherwise for summer Saturdays in 1971. The two rostered Cl.33/0 workings were . 1V24 10:20hrs Portsmouth Harbour - Cardiff (General) arr 14:05; operates 12/06/1971 - 04/09/1971, returns as 1O64 14:55hrs Cardiff (General) - Portsmouth Harbour . The previous summer (1970) this train had been formed:- BSK, CK, SO, SO, BSK, SO, SO 1V25 11:20hrs Portsmouth Harbour - Cardiff (General) arr 14:58; operates 12/06/1971 - 04/09/1971, returns as 1O65 16:35hrs Cardiff (General) - Portsmouth Harbour. . The previous summer (1970) this working had been formed:- BSK, SO, SO, RMB, CK, BSK However, it may be that these services started out as internal Brighton - Portsmouth Harbour workings where the new Cl.33 came light from Fratton and took out an incoming Brighton train. A BR(WR) WTT would not normally contain such information. The Hymek workings were as follows UP 1O57 08:50hrs Cardiff (General) - Portsmouth Harbour; operates until 25/09/1971 1O59 09:15hrs Cardiff (General) - Portsmouth Harbour; NOT 12/06/1971 - 04/09/1971 when this train worked 1O59 10:00hrs Cardiff - Weymouth, returning as1V31 16:25hrs Weymouth - Cardiff (General) arr 20:02hrs. 1O61 11:00hrs Cardiff (General) - Portsmouth Harbour; NOT 12/06/1971 - 04/09/1971 1O63 12:35hrs Cardiff General) - Portsmouth Harbour; operates 12/06/1971 - 04/09/1971 DOWN 1V27 13:20hrs Portsmouth Harbour - Cardiff (General) arr 17:01hrs; operates 08/05/1971 - 05/06/1971and 11/09/1971 - 25/09/1971 1V27 13:20hrs Portsmouth Harbour - Swansea arr 18:20hrs; operates 12/06/1971 - 04/09/1971 1V32 17:25hrs Portsmouth Harbour - Cardiff (General) arr 21:36hrs; NOT 12/06/1971 - 04/09/1971. Brian R

Bold Colliery . 22nd May 1980 . Brian R

Get hold of 'Farewell to North West Steam' by Ivo Peters & Norman Lockett. . An outstanding album of photographs taken predominantly on the West Coast Main Line in Cumberland around Ais Gill, Shap etc, with some Settle & Carlisle, all taken approx 1965-1967. . There are a number of shots of Brits on (fitted) freight in those pages. . Probably the best album I've got, I actually prefer it to 'Each a Glimpse' . Brian R

I'm intrigued at C4613, the Fordson 4wDM version of a 'Simplex' and 15" gauge too.................... . Brian R

A number of pits were either close to, and linked to the Glamorganshire & Aberdare canals in South Wales, as in the following pair of books:- . The Glamorganshire & Aberdare Canals Parts 1 & 2 Stephen Rowson & Ian Wright . I have them, and they are excellent . Brian R .

Acouple of shots of the headframe at Big Pit, Blaenavon taken in July this year. . Well worth a visit, you can go underground, and it's free................ and the Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway is right next door. . Brian R

Some pictures of Wayne Hopkins 7mm scale colliery which has appeared at the last two Cardiff Shows, due to its' popularity. . It represents a South Wales pit - generally identifiable by the revettment - i.e. the pit head buildings were on top of a large stone wall, with the railway below - this was to allow the journies ( a train of trams ) to run out of the cage and into the screens, and the railway wagons would stand beneath the screens for loading. . The headframe in this picture ( which I believe is a Wrightscale etch ) would probably be the downcast shaft - fans are used to draw air down the 'downcast' shaft, circulate around the headings and then draw the air out of the pit through the upcast shaft - the fans are generally linked to the upcast shaft in some way. . Upcast shafts could usually be identified as the headframe was normally clad in corrugated sheets or similar to make them airtight and aid the flow of air. . The model features a working ropeway - but the chaps were setting up when I took the photos, and the ropeway was the last to be erected. I have more shots if you want. . Brian R

A selection from his big brothers photos:- . Brian R

In preparation for Warley,I've already stopped showering, ceased changing my underwear, dug out an anorak I bought in 1974 that has never been washed and has a collar you could fry chips in; and have bought an army surplus Bergen to put on my back so as to knock other punters out of the way as I (impersonating the rush to the stern of the Titanic) join the stampede to the Bachmann stand ! . Brian R .

Working to a deadline now ?

Nice to see Leeds United fans living up to their sportsmanlike reputation again this afternoon. . Last home match at Cardiff before Remembrance Day, so there was a two minute silence before kick-off. . Well, there was a two-minute silence for the home fans, for the visitors it was a cue to chant "We are Leeds, we are Leeds" . Not the first time they have abused such occasions. . So what did we learn ? . We learned that the Leeds fans turned up, but the team they suport didn't' . Brian R . PS Changes in attitude and behaviour at Cardiff City FC means we can now challenge the behaviour of other supporters.........................

I've also had this problem, but luckily, not on every sheet. . Sometimes the brick courses being out of square is apparent to the eye, other times it's only when marking out and cutting that it becomes apparent. . Difficult to conceal around door and window reveals, but at corners the discrepancy can be hidden by downpipes etc. . The difference in relief between the Wills and Slaters brickwork can be apparent when viewed at close quarters. . The larger windows in the 'Leeds MRC' factory are made from those that came with a Dapol nee' Airfix engine shed kit and which have languished in my scrapbox for many years. . Others came from the Peco detailing kits (the ones cast in bright green). . Downpipes are from 0.060" rod and the snowboxes are styrene with an 0.060" hole drilled in the base to accomodate the downpipe. . Due to time constraints I was unable to make and fit any guttering (shooting or chuting, depending where you live). . The vertical vents on the gable end were from the Walthers range and were finished in Humbrol gunmetal. . Similarly the two vents visible behind the one wall came from a different Walthers pack, again finished in gunmetal.. . Other smaller diameter pipework / conduit has been formed from wire. . More when I return from visiting my Uncle Sam !! . Brian

Having built the carcasses I tried them in position on the layout, and found they were too low for my liking. . Wondering what to do, I retired briefly to the gentleman's reading room downstairs, only to emerge flushed with inspiration ! - "raise the low relief backdrop buildings on Wills brick arches, that will allow bridges to form scenic breaks at each end of the layout as well. . The following weekend a raiding party left both Messrs Lendon's and Lord & Butler having stripped their displays of Wills brick arches, and some extra brickwork sheets. . Now, to raise the building to the height of the arches ....................... . My brother ( naturol ) is not the only scavenging modeller in the family, and walking to work through Bute Park one day I noticed someone had torn down signs that had advertised the annual 5th. November celebrations (no, not 'V' for Vendatta !) and thrown them to one side. . Made from a funny sort of plastic that when cut resembled a bar of nougat, they were both large enough, and thick enough to raise the ground level some 80mm and support the proposed buildings. . An attempt to make up a row of Wills arches hit problems - I don't know what 'plastic' Messrs Wills use, but it is very brittle and prone to fracture - another trip to Lord & Butler followed, and a hope they had restocked. . The arches were built, and installed against the raised ground .............. the Wills brick parapet walls were put to one side for later. . Attention returned to the buildings, especially the 'Leeds MRC' factory building which was clad with Slaters embossed brick sheet, why ? . The sheets are larger than Wills. They are more forgiving, and can curve to the imperfections in the card crcasses It works out cheaper - especially as the Wills sheets still fractured. . The 'Leeds MRC' factory was then plonked atop the arches, with a lip to hold the front wall over the top of the arches. . That brings us to todays three photos.......... . More soon. . Brian R

At the recent Cardiff Show, and since, a number of members have asked about the buildings that form the backdrop to Rosamund Street (Low Level) Sidings. . Initially I wanted a large engineering premises, and actually mocked up a building in foam board, with a row of gable ends facing the viewer - but I was dissatisfied as the structure was to repetitive and was too modern for my early 1970s setting/era. . So a drastic rethink took place - yes I wanted something different. So, the most prominent building is based upon a plan that appeared many years ago, during the early 1960s, in the Railway Modeller. . The drawing was by Don Townsley of Hunslet Engine Co. and Lees MRC fame and the building formed part of a low relief backdrop on the then Leeds MRC 7mm layout. . Many years later, a sketch of the same building appeared in one of the early issues of MRJ, and it appears the original structures may have been in the northern suburbs of Birmingham. . I was struck my the different angles and roof lines. . In addition, the buildings were to form a low-relief backscene, and not be 'foreground models' - so they would not be super-detailed. . The 'Leeds' building,as were the others, is formed of a Letraset mount board carcass, glued together with PVA, the joints being held in place with spots of hot glue as the PVA set. . The carcasses were then clad with Slater's brick embossed plasticard, and detailed using windows from a variety of manufacturers e.g. Peco, Airfix, Dornoplas .... all lying in the depths of my scrapbox. . So, here are a few shots of the carcass before detailing commenced. . If anyone has any questions, please feel free - that's the idea behind RMWeb. More later - if anyone's interested. . Brian R

What are you taking Rob ? . Brian R

8087 and 8183, Coalville Stabling Point, Sunday 19th. August 1973 . Present that afternoon were:- 8012, 8014, 8042, 8069, 8072, 8087, 8136, 8167, 8181, 8182, 8183, 8198 and shunter 3025. . Brian R .

Kevin . The ECML took a bashing later with trips to London, for 'the Cross' also one memorable coach trip which took in the delights of Botanic Gardens, Drapers scrap yard, Goole, Immingham, Frodingham, Scunthorpe, Donny, The Plant etc . . But, from South Wales, the ECML was always a bit remote........ . But, to whet the appetite of those transition era spotters, here is another page from the same 1971 Locoshed, and part of a Cardiff - Bristol trip in 1972. We used the 16:20 SO ex-Cardiff and bent our knees to get a half fare (all of 40p return) and knew that by the time we reached Marsh Junction there would be no one else around. . Mike . I'm jealous ! . 73 & 181 were my last Peaks. . A Gateshead 47 was my last Brush (forgotten which one now !). . Never got to clear my Warships, 828 Magnificent eluded me for years - then, I booked to travel on a Cardiff-Swindon 'footex' and knew it was on 'the dump' - but was off its wheels and out of view ! - but did manage the Westerns, Hymeks and 'nine-fivers' . Went to Scotland 1988 on 'the last great bash' (OK weekend away with 'naturol') but wanted to get 37264, which had been a Stratford resident for many years and had eluded me. ..... failed, it was on Canton when we got back ! Brian R

The late 60s and early 70s are 'my era'. . The early 70s were when I was most actively 'spotting' (altho there was a resurgence of interest in the mid 80s the 'number taking' was more like making a record of services and stock). . I still have most (but not all) of my notebooks from 1971 onwards, and a goodly selection of Ian Allan Combined Volumes and Locoshed books from the mid 60s onwards. . Together with other material such as 1971-1972 WTT's for South Wales, Sectional Appendix, DMU and CWN documents I have been able to wallow in nostalgia. . Until about a year ago I had minimal space for a layout - and Rosamund St. was 'designed' (term used loosley) to fit the then available space of some 68" x 15". . Even though my brother ('naturol' of this parish) had built a replica of Ranelagh Bridge loco yard in 4mm, and which I have operated at several shows - small depots and stabling points were/are not for me. . Therefore "Rosamund Street" was to be a small goods yard, where shunting could take place based on what I had observed on my spotting jaunts around the country. . But, I wanted it to be reasonable authentic and the movements justified........... so, there are fitted vans and mineral wagons, almost to the exclusion of anything else - no ARMS, no giant Trestrols, not even the odd CovHop just the mundane, but that's what I saw. . The size of the layout allows the use of the Inglenook shunting puzzle, and most mainline locos up to a 'Peak' (no one called them by their TOPS classes in those days) and three SLU (standard length units) in the headshunt. . Using a card system to decide how the five wagon train should be formed adds to the operational interest. . I doubt I would have gained as much fun shuffling a few locos around a stabling point - but each to their own (Rule No.1 applies - "it's your model railway") . All this is the groundwork for my magnum opus which will be located in the garden shed and form an 18'0" x 9'0" 4mm scale 1971-1972 semi-industrial / semi-rural South Wales based 'roundy-roundy' known as "Twll Cach" where freight workings will predominate, and the 'bug set' will break cover every hour and rattle past GFYE 'six-eighters' from Radyr, a 'Brush' will appear now and again on an Aberthaw bound MGR and pairs of 'Type 2s' will work thro' from East Usk.. . Brian R .

"I realise that's not something easily swallowed by fans of less well off, or lower league teams, but that's just life. There will always be the big fish and the little fish" . Just as there will always be (a) Manchester United fans and ( B) football fans. . Or is it a United thing, to believe that every other football fan is just jealous of United and their success ? . Me, I'll support my home town club - come rain or shine, just I have since the late 60s................ it's what many of us little fish do, come and check us out sometime, you may actually like what you see in the lower leagues - where we make do with meat pies, not prawn sandwiches..