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Spotted "in the wild" at Ian Allan Bookshop, Waterloo this morning.....

Andrew, your memory is quite good - the linhay is 21.5 in long on Wheal Elizabeth but as you say, in reality this is a pretty small works like the Carbis works. I have been playing around with ideas based on the Wenfordbridge line on and off for a while but having visited the site last week while on holiday it is clear that this facility is somewhat bigger than its final output would suggest - according to "Map my Run" it is about 650 m long. The buildings are Listed and still standing and although fenced off are clearly regularly accessed by "visitors". I found a planning notice on part of the site dating to 2010 when there were plans to convert it into apartments and although that hasn't happened. the Local Authority website might have some info. Like others, I find the clay industry and the rail facilities a fascinating subject and aspect of rail operations in Cornwall but, as Stoker, has said in the original post most facilities are way too large for just a corner of a layout but may lack the operating potential needed for me to sustain interest if modelled as a single facility especially in the air brake era of clay trains. Clay hoods are a little easier but you do need a lot of them to make sense of operations! I look forward to seeing developments on Stoker's Rosevear project and also to learning much more about the clay industry as this progresses.

John, That’s really helpful, thank you. I’ll have to give it a go and see how I get on. I’ll let you know in due course. Jeremy

Thanks John, I’ll have to have a look at how to do that to see if I can make it work. Jeremy

John That Pannier is looking really good - amazing what can be done with the RTR moulding. Just wondering how you have dealt with pick-ups on this chassis? I've got one nearly complete in P4 and am having a real struggle getting reliable, invisible pick-ups fitted. Thanks Jeremy

There was some comment earlier on this thread about converting one of these new models to EM/P4. Has anyone had any experience of doing this successfully? If not, does anyone know the distance between the inside faces of the splashers so we can assess whether wider gauged wheels might fit? Thanks Jeremy

There is a good photo in John Vaughan's "Diesels in the Duchy" book of a Class 25 (either 048 or 054) on a train of 16t and 21t mineral wagons with 20t brake van west of Truro in late 1970's (1978 I think) - another good modellers train! I don't recall having seen any coal hoppers in photos in Cornwall apart from the HEA's used to Drinnick Mill in the mid-1980's although I understand that a couple of HAA's (i.e. MGR hoppers) were used as a trial for carrying clay before BR ordered the CDA's. There are some useful photos of typical trains on the Cornwall Railway Society website if you review the Cornwall Galleries section. Jeremy

I've also just started a trial fitting of Dinghams to my stock as I try to get Wheal Elizabeth up and running again. The various links (especially Paul's and David's) have been very helpful but I still have a couple of queries: - The instructions don't mention whether to solder the dropper to the dropper hanger on the looped coupling or just to rely on hooking the wire around the hole - any views? does it make a difference? - The suggestion is that they aren't very reliable with sprung buffers - some of my stock is so fitted as I was originally thinking about using AJ's - is this a real issue so that I need to fix these buffers solid or something that is simply a would be better if they were avoided? Any advice from experienced users gratefully received. Thanks Jeremy

Very disappointed to see that the DVD is not part of the "off the shelf" offering this month and can't be obtained via the Website as in previous months. Mini-Me's of the production team aren't a lot of use to me, would rather have had the DVD. It seems that this practice of providing different offerings for the subscribers compared to the purchasers is going to continue for the next few months. I don't want to subscribe and will now be thinking twice about buying especially as the plastic bags now prevent you from seeing the content before parting with your cash. Found the Pendon article disappointing especially when 3 of the 4 printed photographs have already appeared on RMWeb.

Rich Comet did some buffers as part of their Hawksworth Autocoach kit but they don't seem to be listed separately. Similarly, there are some in the Dart Castings Autocoach detailing kit but again not listed separately. It might be worth asking either/both if they could be made available separately. In the past MJT/Dart have let me have just the castings from the Autocoach detaining kit. Good luck! Jeremy

I'm in the process of putting together a small rake of these wagons as I try to re-stock Wheal Elizabeth, initially concentrating on the 1978 to 1982 period. The info on Paul Bartlett's site and various photos in the John Vaughan books suggest that there were a number on BR/LNER 12t Steel Opens used in these rakes. Were these actually used for carrying clay or were they simply "support" wagons for carrying tarpaulins etc when the clay wagons were empty? Was this also the role taken by the occasional 12t Van seen in the midst of the Clayliner consist? I'd be interested to hear any thoughts about the workings of these trains as including one or other of these would add a little variety to the consist! Jeremy

And Homebase, Wickes and B&Q all bought ex-Focus/Great Mills stores from the administrators. It was also an ideal opportunity for the likes of The Range, B&M and Home Bargains to get their foot on the property ladder....

Thanks to adb968008 for checking delivery dates with Dapol at the Warley show and posting the photographs. The non-DCC green, blue and blue/grey ones are now showing on Hattons website as being in stock. Jeremy

Is there any news on the timing of the Class 121 models? I see in the Dapol B4 thread that the photo catches most of the blue & grey version (W55029) but there has't been much information recently about delivery dates - any ideas? Thanks Jeremy

Chris, Thanks for your comments. I do have both of the GWRJ's that cover Bodmin and the B-Set allocations but they don't deal with the single coaches. The E157 you refer to is, I think, the one pictured in The Liskeard & Looe Branch (W6265 but it has 7ft bogies) and seemed to be the extra coach for those services but, as you say, there isn't any reason why it or a similar one couldn't have made it to Bodmin... Nigel, the problem is that this particular train which ran at about 06:30 doesn't appear to get photographed much. I've been through nearly all of my sources covering Bodmin and there is little to help. The only photos I have found which might give some guidance are one from the RCTS which shows an E167 (W6282 I think) coupled to a D6300 but this is at a later date, September 1963, when the older B-sets had been withdrawn. There is another that has been the subject of identification attempts on RMWeb before but again the responses are inconclusive. I suspect that this means I could get away with a loose coach from any of the 3 diagrams, E147, E157 or E167, so I'll make a choice in due course. There was also another loose coach attached to one of the afternoon workings, although it is not mentioned in the diagrams in GWRJ, and this appears to be linked to the afternoon school traffic. It appears to have been a Corridor Brake Third and I have found a photo from the early 1950's showing a downgraded Toplight Van Third and a slightly later photo showing a Collet vehicle stored in the station. Again if anyone knows whether a particular coach was located to this duty I'd be interested to hear. Thanks for your comments so far. Jeremy

Thanks for compiling that list which is extremely helpful. I'm not sure if this is the right place for this query but seeing as it is linked to B-sets.... I am currently trying to work out the likely carriage workings at Bodmin General in 1955/1956. It seems, from various sources including GWRJ 56, that the daily WR passenger service was covered by 2 B-Sets with an additional Brake Composite used on one of the early morning trains. I'm struggling to track down details of what type of coach this single vehicle was but suspect it would most likely be a loose "B-set" BC vehicle which would probably be to dia E147 or, less likely at that date, E167. Does anyone know definitively what vehicle/type of vehicle would have been used on this service? Thanks for any help anyone can give! Jeremy

Mark, Just saw your comment about springing these locos in P4. I agree that it isn't necessary but it does make them move more like an 80-odd ton loco. I did one of the Penbits ones like Jon020's (see Locos for Lochinver on S4 Forum)and as well as being a challenge it gives you a very surefooted loco. Jeremy

As the new owner of Wheal Elizabeth I thought, as Andrew suggested, that I'd "break cover". Like many it is a layout I have admired for some time and think it catches the essence of a China Clay branch extremely well. I did draw up plans for a China Clay layout for the Scalefour Society D&E Layout Challenge but when I saw the plans Andrew proposed and the progress he had made compared to my faltering efforts I abandoned that challenge. I have however been building up a selection of stock for my own Clay project but now I don't have to build that!! My plan is to take stock of what I have bought and also to bring some of my part finished projects to completion concentrating on my two main areas of interest, the mid to late1950's and the mid to late 1970's. Once I am satisfied I have sufficient stock and have ironed out any problems that may arise during conversion to DCC (to allow for sound in the diesels) I expect that I will take the layout to a few shows. I doubt I'll be able to manage the 35 over 8 years that Andrew has done but you certainly haven't seen the last of Wheal Elizabeth on the exhibition circuit. I suspect that any stock related updates will appear on my OMWB thread on the Scalefour Forum if you want to keep an eye on what I'm doing... Jeremy

Porthchullin Tatty is right that there are a couple of converted West Countries on St Merryn but despite his suggestion I didn't do the conversions. I have one in my started but not finished box which involved using Comet frames as cosmetic overlays to try and deal with the brake gear problem mentioned but I can't comment on how successful that will be as I've not finished! The St Merryn WC's, from memory, follow a similar route to ullypug's.